Changed Fates
by Jennifer Darknight
Summary: Chapter Seven: Preparations were always necessary for a Ninja, but they also could get one to run into some interesting situations. :NarutoXHinata, SasukeXSakura:
1. Prologue

**_Changed Fates_  
**  
**By Jennifer Darknight**  
  
**Prologue  
**  
**When You Wish Upon a Star**  
  
"You know, when you wish on a shooting star, your wish will definitely come true!"  
  
He had said that to her long ago, when they were young and impressionable. At the age of twenty-two, though, Hyuga Hinata was not as easily fooled as her appearance would make her to be. But the one who had said that to her...he still believed in fairies and magic castles and things like that. He was bright, shining—more beautiful than any star. He was the sun personified, bringing happiness to everyone who basked in his sunlit smile. She was one of those people he charmed, although she knew it would just lead to sadness in the end. The sun eventually sets, after all.  
  
But she was one of those people, at that time, who believed in miracles. You know, those silly things that grown women could never believe in due to the harsh crashes of reality. She thought that he could love her for who she was, and accept her for the violet that she was, despite the fact that he was a sunflower.  
  
After a while, though, she had learned that Cherry Blossoms suited his garter better than lilacs or violets. That was apparent after the petal- haired girl of his dreams started packing her trousseau. It was expected, it was there. But it was still heartbreaking all the same. She just couldn't take the sight of it.  
  
That was why she was sitting in a flower field instead of in Iruka- sensei's apartment, where the wedding reception was being held. She didn't want to have to deal with the grief.  
  
Looking at the stars was the best thing for her—she suddenly understood why Shikamaru loved the sky so much. Why he lazed away and looked up at it every day.  
  
The sky was endless, wise, and great. It was something that she could easily fall in love with, if it were a man. It never mocked, never yelled, never hurt anyone for being anything that it didn't like. It was just...there. And according to Neji-niisan, who she had gotten much closer to over the years, there was someone up there, watching everything. A Creator who was looking over mankind and making sure that the world was in working order.  
  
It would make sense. Hinata smiled to herself, although a little bit bitterly. Through nothing short of a miracle, Neji-niisan had gotten the 'thorn out of his ass', as Naruto-kun had so tactfully put it, and had married the girl of his dreams who had watched him ever since they were children; Lee-san got over his surgery and married TenTen; Ino-san got over Sasuke-kun and married Shikamaru (while becoming a Jounin and holding up the family business at the same time); Kiba-kun and Shino-kun found themselves their own loves and married as well; and Gaara-kun got exorcised of that horrible demon that was torturing him his entire life.  
  
It was selfish to ask about where she stood. Everyone was happy. So she should be too. That's what love was...right?  
  
But still...if only there was a chance for her to be with her beloved Naruto-kun. A chance to get him to at least notice her, and fall in love with her.  
  
Or at least, get a chance for anyone to fall in love with her.  
  
Oh, like that would ever happen.  
  
She was a plain, shy, ugly girl, remember?  
  
But...maybe the shooting star trick did work?  
  
She smiled to herself.  
  
It didn't hurt to be a gullible child, just this once.  
  
She looked up to the sky as the star sped by, closed her eyes, and prayed.

* * *

So, guys? What did you think? I know, I know! It's short! But the next chapter is going to be pretty long, so this is just to give you the basis of the story before I slam you with super-long chapters! Oh, and before I forget, you can also see this on my website, "Ai Shiteru... A Naruto Romance Fanfiction Archive" which is not fully up yet but will be once I get all of the stories up an running and once the Submit section is up. But hey, if you want to send me something even before the site is up, let me know through email (ladyjenniferdarknightyahoo.com) and I'll be sure to get back to you! 

Well, until the next chapter, Ja ne!

Jen


	2. Just Another Day

**_Changed Fates  
_**  
**By Jennifer Darknight  
**  
**Ichi:  
**  
**Just Another Day  
**  
Morning. It was morning in the Hyuga household. Everything seemed in perfect order: Hinata's room was spic and span, with her teddy bears on their own shelves and the books sitting neatly on her desk. Her jacket was hung on the back of her chair, and the purple tank-top she usually wore under it was folded on her dresser. The usual smell of lilac perfume lingered in the air, and Hinata herself was curled up under her blankets, with an Angelic smile on her face.  
  
Ah, the benefits of being twelve years old. You have your own dreams and desires, and although life would eventually slap you in the face, everything just seemed so far away. Much farther away than one would usually like. For Hinata, it was a little too close for her liking, but being the heir of the greatest clan in the village was one of the worst feelings of responsibility that anyone could have. There were days she just wanted to sleep her entire life away, much like a certain lazy genius, but decided against it quickly.  
  
It was one thing to want to sleep the day away, but it was a completely different matter all together to actually do it and get Neji- niisan to rag on her all day. She knew that he didn't like her, but she also knew that it was his duty to get her up and to train—and it was much better for him to do it than her own father.  
  
So, sighing with a bit of regret, Hyuga Hinata sat up in bed, running her fingers through short hair. She did that every morning—sort of a personal tradition, just to make sure that everything was still, as it always was, normal.  
  
A stretch of arms and a soft yawn, the Hyuga heiress swung her legs over the side of her bed, stepping onto the floor where she stood for a moment, trying to regain her balance after a night of deep sleep. Despite what people thought, the girl was a horribly deep sleeper, and one couldn't wake her up even if a hurricane hit.  
  
Or if a bunch of enemy-nins stormed the Hyuga home in hopes to kill her.  
  
Whichever.  
  
She peeked at herself in the mirror, and sighed to herself. A pale, plain, forlorn-faced twelve-year-old with the proportions of a girl even younger than that was staring back at her. She tried to force a smile onto her face, but it just looked so fake. The slump of shoulders, and the shaking of a head in a defeated fashion. That was Hyuga Hinata all over again.  
  
"...still not tan." Was all she said, before she walked to the vanity to smoothen the knots out of her short indigo hair.  
  
She was quite aware of the time. She had about an hour to get ready, and then she had fifteen minutes to eat breakfast before she had to make a mad dash to school to get there on time ('on time', meaning, 'at school before everyone else was'.) . Today was the genin graduation lecture and team assignments, after all. She couldn't afford to be late.  
  
_Although_, she thought as she changed out of her cotton nemaki and into her purple sleeveless shirt before putting her jacket on over it, _It won't be the same without Naruto-kun in my class.  
_  
Ah, yes. Naruto. The one (and only) reason that class was fun those years that she had spent under Iruka-sensei's tutelage. He was always making trouble, causing ruckuses and making all the adults crazy, but he had a sort of a glow to him, which made him a sort of person who Hinata wouldn't mind spending more time with, not to mention the fact that he never gave up no matter how mean people were to him. It was a shame that she wouldn't see him during her beginning days as a genin, and maybe she wouldn't see him ever again.  
  
But he failed the test. She couldn't do anything about that. But she would still miss him. She would miss his bright, shining smile, and his animated blue eyes that could just gaze right through her, and...!  
  
She blushed and shook her head. She wasn't going to think about him—not first thing in the morning anyway. She had enough dreams of him to make the biggest romantic puke, and to say that she had a crush on him was...really, rather an understatement. Everyone else in class knew it, and Yamanaka Ino threw little playful cracks at her more than once when Naruto would screw up or enter the room or look her way.  
  
Speaking of Naruto-kun...there was that weird dream that she had last night...about him getting married to that Haruno girl, Sakura. And a shooting star that flew through the sky. She was like a spectator to a sepia-colored home-movie, like the ones that her father would often watch when he thought nobody was looking... reliving memories of her mother when she was still young. Even though she was watching, she knew that it was her on that hill, looking towards the sky. She was older, but she could still tell. Call it a sense of knowing oneself, if you will.  
  
It was so strange, though...  
  
It felt so...so real.  
  
She could feel the breaking of her heart, the desperation in her voice as she murmured her wish to the star that flew above her head.  
  
She could feel the wind brushing against her face...  
  
_Focus, focus, **focus,** Hinata!_ She berated herself.  
  
Today was Genin initiation. She had to be at least a little prepared.  
  
She didn't have time to be thinking of silly dreams.  
  
But still...  
  
She tied her shuriken pouch around her leg, and looked back down at her nightstand, where the all-too-familiar hitai-ate was sitting, with the Leaf symbol freshly carved into the metal that sat on the blue silken fabric. A pale hand ran over the strokes that made the Konoha symbol, and a smile came to her lips.  
  
It was the first step. It was the first step to becoming a true ninja. With all the weaknesses that Hyuga Hinata had, she was surprised she even earned it at all. The day she got it she would look down towards it, and wonder what she had done to get this far. She lost to her little sister, who was much younger than she was. And she still managed to become Ninja. Well, she was Hyuga after all, so maybe that was it.  
  
A slight grip held onto the headband, and picked it up from the table. It felt uncomfortable to put it on her forehead, and to wrap it around her arm was out of the question.  
  
So what was the best thing to do?  
  
Tie it around her neck, of course!  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror, and this time a true smile graced her features.  
  
Maybe her weakness would subside now that she had become a genin, and maybe her luck would improve.  
  
...............................  
  
She was the first to the class, again. Iruka-sensei was here, but that hardly counted, since it seemed like he lived in that classroom sometimes. He would be there from early in the morning until really late at night, so he might as well have lived there. He was scribbling something on a sheet of paper on his desk, she noticed. Hinata could have used Byakugan to figure out just what he was working on, but unlike her younger sister Hanabi or even Neji, she wasn't one to stick her nose into other peoples' business. Besides, it was probably something that was strictly confidential, and the mere thought of a genin like her reading something like that was just unheard of.  
  
Her seat was near the back of the classroom, top row, where nobody's eyes really wandered, and she could watch Naruto-kun without anybody really noticing (besides Ino, who noticed everything there was to know about who- likes-who), more importantly without him really noticing. True, Naruto-kun wasn't in the class anymore, but still. It was nice to keep with routine. It made her feel better—that things were still at least somewhat the same. It was like how she ran her fingers through her hair every morning.  
  
She sat down in her usual spot, and sat her hands in her lap like a nice, mannerly little girl. A Hyuga must always be mannerly, even when nobody else was watching. It was the image of the Clan that was important, and Hinata must carry that belief everywhere in her daily life, even with her closest and most intimate of friends. She must never lose her dignity.  
  
Even when normal twelve-year-old girls were giggling over boys, applying the most pointless of makeup, and messing with their hair every five minutes.  
  
Iruka-sensei looked up from his papers, and, noticing Hinata's presence, threw a warm, brotherly smile in her direction.  
  
He was always so nice to everyone. Hinata couldn't help but blush a little at the attention, and smile back.  
  
"Ohayo, Hinata-chan."  
  
"O-Ohayo gozaimasu, Iruka-sensei."  
  
That was their normal morning small-talk. They'd greet each other pleasantly, and then Iruka-sensei would look down at his work, and Hinata would take out a book she was currently reading (her pouch was big enough to hold those pocket novels), and start to read it.  
  
But for some strange reason, she was restless this morning. She couldn't pick up her new Mikihara Megumi romance novel and start reading it. A sense of excitement ran through her, and her mind would swim, into strange thoughts that would run through her mind time and time again.  
  
Teams were being assigned, right? Genin teams that would stick together through thick and thin, and would probably have a sense of companionship that would last them the rest of their lives. She had heard about it from her Father the night before, at her small 'congratulatory' dinner that the family had prepared, at least to show that she could do something right instead of sitting around and looking scared. She would be dealing with these people in her team for a long time now...it was only natural that she would worry about who she was going to be paired with.  
  
There was Uchiha Sasuke, the top of the class for that year. He was strong, silent, but very skilled as a ninja, with a strength that most ninja would give their own body-parts to possess. He was also the last member of the Uchiha Clan, which, next to the Hyuga, was the strongest Clan in Konoha. She didn't know if she would actually blend with him personality- wise, but working with him was sure to help her at least a little bit...at least to help her learn something from him.  
  
Then there was Nara Shikamaru. Personally, Hinata didn't mind him all that much. Most people thought of him as a lazy person, but he was also a genius, and didn't seem like he cared about what others thought. He didn't criticize others for being different, either...maybe it was because he was too lazy to do so, but working with someone who didn't treat her like she was lower than trash was not a bad idea. He seemed like a likable person too, despite all of his sleeping in class and being bored with everything.  
  
Inuzuka Kiba was rather loud, and seemed a little too brash with his constant bravado that rivaled even Naruto-kun (although Naruto-kun was a lot more lighthearted about it...Kiba-kun tried to compete with everyone), but maybe the loudness might complement her near-silence, and help her be more outgoing. And that dog that followed him everywhere was really, really cute. She had just never built up the guts to ask him if she could pet it, much less talk to him.  
  
Aburame Shino...she didn't know much about him, except that he was a member of the Aburame Clan. Haruno Sakura was the top of the class in her written tests (Hinata herself was a high scorer on the written tests, but sometimes she drew blanks and made careless errors), but she seemed a little intimidating to the girls in the class, and would be rather competitive with her, especially if they were both put on a team with Sasuke. Akimichi Chouji she didn't know much about either. He was always eating in class, and didn't talk much, although he did spend a lot of time with Shikamaru. Yamanaka Ino was on the same level as Sakura, although since she knew that Hinata liked Naruto, she'd be a lot easier to get along with than Sakura would...  
  
She continued to tick off the names of people in her head, weighing their pros and cons and what the chances were of her working with them. It helped her get over her nervousness (although it didn't help much, to be honest), and it killed time. Actually, it killed about an hour's worth of time, and students were already starting to pile into the classroom in droves.  
  
"Huh?" Kurogane Makikuni's voice reached Hinata's ears, even through the loud hubbub and noise that filled the classroom (like it did every day).  
  
"Naruto, what the hell are you doing here? Only those who PASS are supposed to be here."  
  
N-Naruto-kun? Hinata's eyes jerked over to where Makikuni-kun was standing, leaning over a certain someone. At this point she was thankful that she was sitting high up—she could see everything that was going on below her. And...sure enough, Uzumaki Naruto was sitting there, Hitai-ate on his head, grinning at the other boy.  
  
Hinata felt her heart skip, and her stomach do a flip-flop of joy. Naruto-kun...he had graduated after all! He was here, in the same classroom! She was tempted to run down there and congratulate him, to tell him how happy she was that he graduated too, but she held herself back, as usual. He probably didn't know who she was, so why did she want to do that now?  
  
But still...her heart fluttered at the sight of him. The shining blond hair, those rugged good looks, and those bright blue eyes that could see everyone and everything. Oh...he looked so...he looked so cute like that. It was a wonder why the other girls weren't hanging all over him. But...maybe that was a good thing. Maybe.  
  
"Hey, hey, can't you see the headband?" Naruto-kun said with a grin, pointing to his headband and making his companion groan.  
  
"Excuse me...will you let me through?"  
  
Hinata could see Haruno Sakura coming a mile away. The girl Naruto- kun had been watching since the day school started, the girl-genius with the exotic pink hair.  
  
Naruto-kun's face beamed with excitement, and a redness crossed his cheeks as he gazed at her. Sakura's girlish build seemed to tower over him, and Hinata knew that if she was in Naruto's position she would feel intimidated by her presence.  
  
A growl crossed the Haruno girl's face. "Naruto, move your ass!!! I'm trying to get on the other side of you!!!"  
  
And Hinata knew why, too. Sakura-chan was well known for her obsession with the class genius, Uchiha Sasuke.  
  
Who was, at the moment, sitting on the other side of Naruto-kun.  
  
It was only natural for Sakura-chan to jump over Naruto-kun, and snag a seat next to Sasuke...she really wasn't paying attention to all the goings- on between Sasuke and Sakura. Her eyes were fixed on Naruto...  
  
Who was glaring at Sasuke, and just jumped on the table and glared at him. The two boys' eyes were locked on one another's, and the nearby girls were yelling at Naruto-kun to 'leave Sasuke-kun alone' and for Sasuke to 'kick Naruto's ass'. It was a wonder how Sasuke-kun put up with that much attention. If it was centered on her, Hinata might just die.  
  
One of the boys moved in front of Naruto-kun, and his shoulder brushed him, sending Naruto falling forward.  
  
Oh...my.  
  
A deep blush covered Hinata's face as she saw Naruto and Sasuke's lips... locked in a rather...unwanted kiss. It was like a scene out of those shounen-ai manga that Hinata would catch some of the girls reading out of the corner of her eye during class, where two boys would fall in love and kiss when the moment of romantic tension reached its peak. But even though she was far off, she could tell that those two were not liking this at all, unlike the mangas that she had seen.  
  
It was pretty much proven after Naruto jumped away from Sasuke, and Sasuke looked like he was about to die. Naruto-kun did too, but Hinata couldn't see his expression for long, as Sakura-chan had started to beat the living daylights about him.  
  
...And people wondered why Hinata thought she was intimidating.  
  
As Naruto lied on his desk like a lump of raw meat, Iruka-sensei had stood from his seat, looking to all the graduates and coughed loudly, which was the signal for all the kids to sit down and shut up.  
  
It was about now that Iruka-sensei would begin his speech.  
  
"As of today," he said, "All of you are real ninjas. Although as of now, you are just merely genin. The hard part has only just begun."  
  
A pause. It seemed that everyone was listening. Iruka-sensei always did that, just to make sure he wasn't talking to air, and that it was getting through to his students' heads.  
  
"You will soon be assigned duties for the village. So today I am to assign you each to three-man cells, and each team will have a Jounin sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions and complete your assigned duties."  
  
He picked up that same sheet of paper off his desk, and looked down at it. "We have arranged everyone according to their strengths and weaknesses, so every team would be about equal."  
  
At that, the class let out a loud groan, and lots of students glared at their sensei. But Iruka-sensei ignored them and just started to read off the list:  
  
"Team one, Yuko Mikami, Nagi Sugo..."  
  
Hinata's eyes concentrated on her teacher, and her ears were alert for when she would hear the names of her teammates, and what team she was supposed to be in. She didn't want to miss her name being called without her realizing it. But after a few more teams were named, she still wasn't called on.  
  
Until...  
  
"Now...team seven. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke...and Hyuga Hinata."  
  
Hinata's heart felt like it was going to stop, and she suddenly felt like her desk was the most interesting thing in the classroom, especially when she felt all the eyes on the class, especially the heated, jealous gazes of the girls, suddenly fall on her.

* * *

Well, that was a fun first chapter, wasn't it?! I'm going to follow the plotline of the manga pretty closely, but things are going to change considerably, since Hinata is going to be on Team Seven instead of Sakura. MWAHAHAHAHA...I had wanted to write a story like this for a long time. And now I can! GO ME!  
  
Well, until next time!  
  
Jen 


	3. Know thy Teacher, Know thy Teammates

**_Changed Fates  
_**  
** By Jennifer Darknight  
**  
**Ni:  
**  
** Know thy Teacher, Know thy Teammates  
**  
Uzumaki Naruto...Uchiha Sasuke...  
  
...And Hyuga Hinata...  
  
Hinata's face reddened, and she suddenly wished that someone could just cut her throat out with a kunai. So many eyes...So many scrutinizing, leery eyes fixed on her, and her alone. She could hear the girls letting out angry snorts, and the boys blinking at her as if they saw her for the first time. Sakura-chan looked defeated, although at the same time she looked enraged, triumphant (Ino wasn't on his team, after all), and ready to rip Hinata's head off her neck. She knew not to let her near kitchens, household cleaning solutions, lunches, and herself for a really long time. If she didn't, things would get ugly.  
  
Naruto's expression turned sour for some strange reason, and at the sight of it, Hinata's heart dropped. Was he upset...because he was on her team? And not Sakura's?  
  
She then saw him glare at Sasuke.  
  
Then do the same to Iruka-sensei.  
  
"Yo, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried out and stood, pointing at Sasuke with a look of disgust. "Why does an outstanding Ninja like me have to be on the same team with that bastard?!"  
  
Iruka-sensei sighed, and shook his head. Hinata knew that look—that was the look he always gave Naruto when he said something that either wasn't very bright, or just something that was so off the wall nobody really understood it. Either way, it was officially known to the other students of the class as the "Naruto Look". Hinata knew it very well.  
  
"Because, Naruto," Iruka-sensei said in a slightly irritated voice (although not irritated enough for someone to call him 'irritated'), "Out of all the students, Sasuke has the best grades, while you would be the bottom of the class. This had to be done to balance the teams, understand?"  
  
Hinata watched Naruto's expression as he sat down. Deflation and disappointment, mostly. He didn't throw any looks towards her, so she would think that that was a good thing. Most of the disappointment was thrown in Sasuke's direction, anyway. She knew about as much (maybe more) than anyone how much Naruto hated Sasuke, and it was probably the worst event in his life that he was stuck getting teamed with him.  
  
Sasuke had said something, but Hinata couldn't hear it above the complaining of the other girls, which had raised to the sound of a crowd in one of those tournaments that her father would drag her to. Her ears burned, and her face lowered. She knew that they were talking about her, but what else could she do?  
  
Besides, she was going to be on the same team with her precious Naruto-kun! They would be spending every day together! Training, eating lunch, maybe even eating dinner...and they could become friends (which was fine with her, as she was just happy to look at Naruto-kun, and being able to talk with him would be a treat that she thought could only happen with a miracle), and then she could maybe become more...  
  
A deeper blush graced her features, and she slunk down further in her seat. Idle daydreaming was NOT the thing to do right now, especially with so many girls hounding her very existence, in search of some sign that she would try to steal Sasuke from them.  
  
As if a girl as plain as her was competition.  
  
She almost didn't hear Iruka's voice as it raised up above the crowd, although not really a yell:  
  
"This afternoon we'll be introducing the Jounin Senseis. Take a break until then."  
  
Naruto whooped for joy, and a slight smile came upon Hinata's features. Being crammed in this classroom with all those people (especially all those girls who wanted her head speared on a stick) was not something she wanted at the moment. The best thing for her to do was just slip away, like she always did, and walk around, maybe just to think about her current situation. She wasn't ready to face her teammates just yet.  
  
...........................................  
  
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the birds were singing in the trees. Everything was perfect, and the day was the ideal weather for a picnic or a family gathering. If she was still five years old, she would probably have been brought out with her mother and father to enjoy the sunlight and play around as a regular child would.  
  
But like that was going to happen today. She was twelve now, and a ninja at that—most ninja didn't even think about 'playing' or 'family' at all. It was more important to perform your duties for the village and do your best as a Shinobi.  
  
And as an heiress to the Hyuga...she should have known better.  
  
But the day really was nice—she couldn't help but notice. Maybe it was because of her current mood—she couldn't see her own face, but she knew that she was all smiles right now. She was on the same team with Naruto- kun. She could prove herself to him and show him that she was worth something. She could make friends with him, maybe even become more. And most of all, this was the first step on her path to becoming the Kunoichi that her father so wanted her to be.  
  
But still. What had driven the teachers to pair the three of them up on one team?  
  
Naruto was the bottom of the class. Sasuke was at the top. Despite her careless mistakes during some tests, and her fear to speak up when she was called on during lectures, she was...pretty high up in Class Rank, probably third or fourth in the class. If they wanted to balance out, wouldn't they have the genius, the lowest, and an average student put together? She told herself that it wasn't good to ask so many questions, and just be happy that she was on Naruto's team instead of Sakimi Yuko's, who would have tortured Hinata with her constant prattling and insults until the poor Hyuga would have wanted to jump off a cliff.  
  
It was just...  
  
She didn't know if she deserved being on a team with the one she had admired for so long, and the most powerful genin of that year's graduating class.  
  
She was just so...weak. So plain. When you looked at her for the first time...you saw just some ghostly weird girl that hid in the shadows, rather than walked out in the sunlight. A girl with freaky white eyes, and who wore a heavy jacket over her, even in the summer. A girl who couldn't speak up, even if you tried to beat it out of her. She just wasn't a loud person—it wasn't really her fault.  
  
But...  
  
When you looked at her, and then you looked at Naruto-kun and Sasuke with their unyielding spirits, you start to see the comparison, almost too strongly.  
  
"Chan...Hinata-chan!"  
  
Hinata spun around, and blinked. A girl's voice sounded behind her—an older voice. She should have recognized it by now, she had heard it enough, but her brain didn't register people very well, sadly.  
  
"Mo...Momoko-sempai!"  
  
The older girl in front of her slumped her shoulders and pushed her glasses up her nose with a defeated air. Her cheeks puffed out, and she tucked some spare strands of reddish-brown hair behind her ear.  
  
"Mou...Hinata-chan! I told you, don't call me 'sempai'! It makes me sound so old! I'm only thirteen, you know!"  
  
Hinata bowed, maybe a little bit lower than she should have, and apologized in a small, meek voice.  
  
"Go...gomennasai!"  
  
A groan left the other girl's lips, and she shook her head. "You Hyugas are all the same, I swear. So freaking polite. I've told you ever since the first day I met you to open up a little, but you just don't listen, do you?"  
  
Hinata shook her head, but she actually couldn't help but giggle at the other girl. Kourime Momoko—a Chuunin and a graduate of the previous year's graduating class. She was a cheery, romantic girl who was always trying to make everyone happy and smooth out arguments when others' feathers were ruffled. The girls had met three years ago, when Neji was injured during an especially horrible training session and Momoko had come down to bring him his homework for the next week. Hinata had been the one to answer the door that day, and then that was how their strange relationship began.  
  
Hinata knew the original reason that Momoko talked to her was because she had a crush on Neji, which was so obvious even she could pick it up (but for some strange reason, Neji could not. Either that, or he just avoided the entire topic altogether). But somewhere along the line, the two saw each other for who they were (the good and the bad), and had become an awkward sort of friends, who spent time together every now and then, but not enough to where they could become 'best friends' or something like that. Momoko was busy with her Chuunin assignments and her endeavor to make Neji actually notice her as more than 'that girl who was in his class', and Hinata had other things to deal with, like training, exams, and now the issue of how she was going to deal with her two new teammates.  
  
But she always knew, no matter how distant the two were, how to make Hinata smile.  
  
"Well, there we go." Hinata's smile was infectious, Momoko would always say, and every time Hinata so much as had a tiny smile on her face, the other girl broke out into a huge, goofy grin. "You look so much better when you smile. You need to try it more often."  
  
"Ha...hai..."  
  
"And the shyness thing has gotta go sometime. I mean, if you're going to be working with a genin team, you can't just keep shying off like that. When I first joined my genin team, I was about as shy as you were, believe it or not. I only got to spend time with them for...well...not even a year since I passed the Chuunin examination, but things didn't really get worthwhile until I got out of my shell, and we worked as a team, ya know?"  
  
Hinata nodded, but she knew that Momoko was trying to cheer her up. It was easier said than done, and both girls knew it.  
  
"So," Momoko tucked some more hair behind her ear. "Congratulations on graduating, by the way. You planning on eating lunch, or..." How did she do it? How could Momoko hold such a large bentou box in her hands and not have Hinata notice it?! There were some things about the Chuunin that the Hyuga girl just didn't understand.  
  
"Am I going to have to eat this myself?"  
  
A blush came on the Hyuga's face, despite herself. It always embarrassed her that Momoko would go out of her way to do things for her on certain occasions. Like last year she snuck some snacks from the Chuunin's banquet hall for Hinata's birthday (the two managed to escape unscathed though), and on Neji's birthday she first brought her cousin an anonymous present (a beautifully crafted katana, no less. Hinata didn't know if it would be wise to tell Momoko that it was the only present he got that year, and that he used the blade every day for training, as she was likely to faint and cause a rather unwanted scene), and then threw a "I can't ever tell Neji how I feel" party for her and Hinata (Hinata felt that Momoko would have a chance with him if she just believed in herself, but then again, Hinata was the worst person to think that, what with her whole self- esteem problem).  
  
"Th...thank you..." Hinata said softly.  
  
Momoko grinned, scratching her head. "Oh, come on! It's the least I can do, since you're now a genin and all." She pumped a fist into the air—no, it wasn't the one holding the bentou, "Ah! Little Hinata is growing up! My mission has not been in vain!"  
  
Momoko was a really nice person, if not a little strange.  
  
.................................................  
  
"So."  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Who are your teammates?"  
  
The two had been eating in silence for a while. Momoko had found a really pretty tree to sit under in the Academy garden, and the two girls opened up the bentou and started to eat their lunches without any sound. Sometimes Momoko was chatting up a storm, and Hinata was doing naught but listening, but there were other times, like these, where they just sat side- by-side, in complete silence. Hinata looked up from her onigiri and sushi, and blushed a little bit. She was on the same team with Naruto-kun...the same one she had been watching for so long...  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto...and Uchiha Sasuke."  
  
A loud swallow was heard, and then gagging sounds were coming out of Momoko's throat as she forced down the rice ball that was most likely caught in her throat in her surprise. She turned to Hinata, with an aghast and incredulous look on her face.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto...and WHO?!"  
  
"U...Uchiha...Sasuke..." Why was she so surprised?  
  
"SASUKE?! King-Asshole-I-Don't-Give-A-Shit-About-Anyone-Else-But- Myself-So-Fuck-Off-Peach-Fuzz Sasuke?! The same one?! The same guy who all the girls like despite the fact that he's a total nut job, probably a closet homosexual, and looks too damn pretty for his own good and is probably a hemmy or something?!"  
  
Hinata shrunk back with every word, and cowered in the corner as Momoko continued to rant. She didn't need the Byakugan to see that her aura was dripping off of her like melting ice cream on an overflowing bowl, and that she was angry beyond all belief. Hinata thought that all the girls liked Sasuke. But this girl...Momoko was brimming with hatred. Maybe she was once a fangirl of his before she liked Neji, but he turned her down or something, and she became permanently bitter? She read about those sorts of things in her favorite novels.  
  
"Y...yes. Do...do you know...Sasuke-san?"  
  
Green eyes turned to fire, and Momoko stood, pumping her fist to the sky and crying out: "Do I?! He's my sworn enemy! I hate him! I hate him more than anything else in the entire world!! If I had a way to get him thrown off the face of the planet, I would! I definitely, definitely would!!"  
  
Wow...such animosity. Hinata was glad that it wasn't her that was on Momoko's bad side. She was already on the 'bad' list of all the other girls in the class...but she had a feeling that the Chuunin had enough venom to make one want to kill themselves if they suffered her anger, instead of just wanting to avoid the person for a week. Of course with Hinata the fear was magnified by at least three, but you could imagine how much worse it would be if it was Momoko instead of anyone else.  
  
"Ano...Momoko-sempai...calm down..."  
  
"Ugh! How can you handle being with an ass like Sasuke?! Well, if he does anything that might hurt you in any way, call me and I'll kick his ass! Although, when you think about it, I don't think beating him will be much of a problem for you. All you need to do is use your Mystic Hinata Cuteness Powers to lull him into submission, then smack his bitch up when he least expects it! YEAH!"  
  
"Momoko-sempai..."  
  
And then the rest of the conversation was about Momoko ranting about how evil Sasuke was, and the nervousness about telling her about Naruto-kun was forgotten...  
  
........................................................  
  
"Why is the sensei for team seven so goddamn late?!"  
  
Hinata looked up from her book from the fifth time in ten minutes to notice Naruto-kun peeking out the door, with a rather aggravated look on his face. She should have known that she couldn't read anything with Naruto- kun in the room, but she thought that if she read some more of her Mikihara Megumi novel, she'd get over her inherent nervousness and be calm enough to meet heir Jounin sensei without looking like a hermit crab without its shell.  
  
Tough luck for that. Every time Naruto so much as spoke, Hinata's emotional alarms went off, and she had to look at whatever he was doing. No matter what he was doing.  
  
Even when he picked up an eraser off the edge of the chalkboard and pushed a chair forward, jumping on it and wedging an eraser in-between the door and the wall. According to the way it was designed, it would fall in the entrant's head whenever he came into the room.  
  
"Na-Naruto-kun...Th...there must be a...reason wh-why h-he's la-late..."  
  
Her voice was so quiet that Naruto didn't hear it. But he prattled on despite it anyway. She should have known that her tiny voice wouldn't have reached his ears.  
  
"I mean, everyone else's left with their teachers! Sakura-chan's gone with Team Eight, and even Iruka-sensei's gone!"  
  
"So the Dobe's upset because he can't get some eye-candy." Sasuke gave Naruto a glare that could send someone flying into the floor with fear.  
  
_He's a dick! He's horrible! He mocks me and treats me like I'm lower than garbage! He treats everyone like garbage! And he'll treat you that way if you're not careful, Hinata-chan! Be careful around him!  
_  
Momoko's words flew into Hinata's head, and as she watched Sasuke's expression as he looked to Naruto-kun, the Hyuga understood a little bit of what she meant. Sasuke had no right to be rude to Naruto-kun, but it wasn't her place to say anything. Men have to stand up for themselves, and if a girl sticks up for him, it's like undermining their masculinity. Her father had said that to her when she was very small, just when she became old enough to walk. It wasn't as if she believed it...everyone needed support...but habit was drilled into her head so much it was almost impossible for her to jump out of it.  
  
"What's it to you, you bastard?!" Naruto yelled at the young Uchiha.  
  
Sasuke closed his eyes and let out a strange sort of snort, one which showed a sort of superiority that strangely reminded Hinata of Neji for some reason.  
  
"...You're pathetic." Was all he said.  
  
He was cocky, arrogant, and more than a little rude. It was no wonder that he burned Momoko so much.  
  
But wasn't Neji-niisan the same way?  
  
It wouldn't hurt to check to see if he was coming. Hinata was rather anxious herself, although she wouldn't show it. Being alone in a room with Naruto-kun and Sasuke was starting to make her nervous.  
  
_Boar, Hawk, Turtle, Eagle...  
  
Byakugan!  
_  
Her eyes had changed, and she could feel her sight switch to the familiar inner coil light that she had gone to know oh-so-well. Once a day, for two to three hours every day, she would practice with her bloodline limit, and get to know the birthright that she would bring into a new generation, once she married and became the true Heiress to the Hyuga Clan. She could see everything in the room, and outside it. Through the walls of the classroom through the walls of the building. She could see Sakura-chan and her two teammates, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, standing outside of the Academy walls, talking to their beautiful female Jounin sensei about something, although she could only see, not hear. She could see Naruto's deep red aura, which resembled something like rubies, or a rose, as well as Sasuke's chill, lifeless aura. She looked near the door, and she squinted her eyes, as if that would make anything be seen more clearly than it already was.  
  
There was something approaching. It was a dark blue aura, which resembled a sense of calm. It was coming towards their room at a slow, leisurely pace. It was a man, actually. He couldn't be any older than twenty-seven, although you couldn't see his face through the mask that he wore. One eye was covered eyepatch style with his hitai-ate, and even though she couldn't hear him, she was sure that he was whistling something to himself as he walked. She knew, as he came closer and closer to the door, that their wait for their Jounin-sensei was going to come to an end.  
  
Her Byakugan changed, and as her eyes came back to normal, the door slid open, only to reveal said man having an eraser fall on his head, chalk dust flying everywhere.  
  
Naruto's mouth opened in a loud, cheery laugh that seemed to raise Hinata's spirits just at the sound of it.  
  
"Hahahahaha! That's what ya get for being late!!!"  
  
The man stepped into the room fully, patting his head free of the chalk dust that sat in his hair and around his face. If his nose wasn't covered by that mask, Hinata would have been sure that he would have been coughing or sneezing—at least a little bit. His one visible eye was closed, and through the mask, she was sure that she saw the makings of a grin on his face.  
  
"Hmmm..." He said, in an easygoing tone of voice. "I think...from this first impression...that..."  
  
A pause.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
...........................................  
  
"All right, now is some time for some introductions."  
  
The three students and the Jounin sensei were standing in the garden of the Academy, where Hinata and Momoko had eaten once before (from where she was sitting, she could still see the tree that they had sat under, and still had the mental image of Momoko ranting about how evil Sasuke was implanted in her mind). Naruto sat at the far right, Hinata in the middle (whilst blushing but still managing to look the Jounin-sensei in the face), and Sasuke on the far left. The sensei stood before them, and his eye crinkled like one did when they were smiling.  
  
Naruto spoke first. "Introductions?"  
  
"You know. Dreams, longings for the future, that sort of thing."  
  
Sasuke glared at the sensei, as he seemed to glare at everyone.  
  
"Hey, hey! Why don't you introduce yourself first?!" Naruto asked.  
  
The man let out a sigh, and looked at all three of the young Genins as they watched him, although some more intently than others.  
  
"Oh...my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes. Dreams for the future? Well...I have lots of hobbies...but none I feel obligated to tell you about."  
  
So basically, all Hinata learned was the gentleman's name. He was certainly bombastic, but he said words that just ran around in circles and taught them nothing. The teacher looked to Naruto, with a sort of blank look.  
  
"All right, your turn."  
  
Hinata's attention was fully focused on the blond genin, and her face started to heat up. Naruto-kun grinned and adjusted his hitai-ate, but didn't really notice Hinata's intense gaze upon him. Her heart did a flip- flop as she heard his sunny voice:  
  
"Me!! Me!! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I like cup ramen! What I like even more is the ramen that Iruka-sensei buys me."  
  
Iruka-sensei bought Naruto-kun ramen? Hinata should have known, with all the attention that Iruka paid to him during their school days.  
  
"What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the ramen to cook. And my dream..."  
  
His eyes started to burn with that strong, confident fire that Hinata always saw in him, that fire that made her want to be so close to him. His face was fixed in an even wider grin, and he adjusted his hitai-ate again.  
  
"...is to surpass the Hokage! And then everyone in the village will acknowledge my existence at last!"  
  
_...Naruto-kun. He's so cool...he's so strong and confident. If only I can get that courage that he shows, to keep that smile on his face day-to-day...  
  
_ Kakashi-sensei's eye then turned to Hinata, whose face became even redder for someone to have caught her staring. She hoped Naruto-kun didn't notice...  
  
"And now...our young lady."  
  
It was her turn now. Hinata's face reddened even more, and looked down towards her jacket, poking her two index fingers together as she spoke. Like many idle things that she did, it helped her relax, and if she concentrated on her lap, she would forget that there were people around her. She would often do that when her father would meet with those dignitaries from foreign lands, and she had to sit in for the dinners.  
  
"Anou...I am...Hyuga Hinata! I um...I like to read and write...and I don't like it...when I get nervous...um...my dream...um...is..."  
  
She felt so stupid. She was getting really nervous, and she wasn't sounding like someone that anyone would want on their team. She was sounding like a...mousy little girl.  
  
_Come on! Be more assertive! You're ninja now! You can do this!  
_  
"My dream...is...to...become the head...of the Hyuga Clan...one day."  
  
Nobody said anything. Hinata could feel Naruto-kun's eyes on her, but she...she was so scared! She was so nervous! She didn't know what he thought of her! What he wanted her to be...to...  
  
"Okay. Now you."  
  
Whew! Saved her from further embarrassment.  
  
Uchiha Sasuke was the last one left. He still slouched, and growled at the ground, but he seemed intimidating to the Hyuga heir.  
  
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like much, but there are plenty of things I dislike." He paused a moment. Much like Iruka-sensei did when he taught the class. "I would like to say 'dream', but it's such a silly word. But I have an ambition. I wish to restore the Uchiha Clan to its former Glory, and..."  
  
Another pause.  
  
"Kill a certain man."  
  
Hinata was drawn aback, and her eyes widened as she watched Sasuke. He was...so...cold. It was simple to say that he frightened her, but he didn't really do so. He just struck her as sort of cruel. And maybe a bit intense. But he struck her as that from the Academy days, as well. He was withdrawn and hidden from everyone, so that was why all the girls liked him, and they wanted to get to know the 'dark and mysterious' Sasuke and worm their way into his heart.  
  
But with an ambition like that, if he wanted to have someone worm into his heart was anybody's guess.  
  
Kakashi-sensei had then sat down, and his eyes were on his team still. Hinata had managed to lift her head up to look at him, but only slightly.  
  
"All right, that's enough of that. Starting tomorrow, we start our duties."  
  
Naruto jumped up with excitement. _Oh...Naruto-kun.  
_  
"Yeah! Duties!! Duties!! What kind of duties are we talking about here, Kakashi-sensei?!"  
  
Kakashi-sensei scratched his head, turning away a little bit. He looked bored, with the way he was sitting and the blank look in his one lazy eye.  
  
"Oh, something between the four of us. Just a little bit of survival training."  
  
Survival training? Didn't they do that in the Academy? Why were they doing that when they were genin now? Hinata knew that she needed more training, but as their first duty it was sort of strange.  
  
"Anou...Kakashi-sensei..."  
  
"Yes, Hinata-chan?"  
  
"Anou...um...Didn't we...do this...in the Academy?"  
  
"Sure, I'll be your opponent, but this won't be ordinary training."  
  
Sasuke threw a glance at his teacher...actually looking up, for the first time this whole session.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
That cold voice again. Hinata would have to get used to it...if they were to be a team. She would not get intimidated by Sasuke, and would not hide in the corner when it came time to fight. She would help them in any way possible. No matter what.  
  
A chuckle came out of Kakashi-sensei's lips, and something in Hinata's heart started to feel dread. Why was he laughing? She had a strange feeling about this.  
  
"I don't know how you guys are going to take this, but only nine students are going to be recognized as official genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. So, meaning, this 'survival training' is a super- difficult exam with a failure rate of 66.6%!!"  
  
An exam?! 66.6% of failing?! If she failed, she would be sent back to the Academy?! Then she wouldn't be with Naruto-kun again...and then she wouldn't have the chance to become true Ninja, and she would crawl back five more paces in her journey to be the Hyuga heir. And her father would be furious with her. He would hate her, and then Hanabi would be recognized as the heir, and Hinata would be sent to the Branch Family with disgrace. She couldn't fail herself now. Whatever kind of exam it was...she couldn't fail. She couldn't fail, not now.  
  
"But...but what was the point of graduating...!" Naruto wailed out, his face an expression of something mixed with being lost and just being all- out upset. Hinata had seen it before—it was a common expression that was used when Iruka-sensei berated him.  
  
"That was just to see who had the potential to become Genin."  
  
Kakashi-sensei put his hands in his pockets, and slumped his shoulders.  
  
"Anyway, you'll be graded on the training field, and bring all your shinobi tools."  
  
The sensei started to walk off, and as if it was an afterthought, he turned back to the students, looking over his shoulder.  
  
"Oh, and don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up."  
  
Hinata's heart felt like it was going to break. Just when she thought she was going to be true Ninja, this test was thrown at her. But if she messed up, the other two would fail, and she couldn't bear being the reason that Naruto had to go back to the Academy, or that Sasuke couldn't accomplish his ambition. She was not going to mess up, and she was going to pass this.  
  
...But her lack of self-confidence was screaming otherwise.  
  
As Naruto would say, "Damn it all to hell."  
  
.........................................................  
  
Chapter two done! Wow, it took me a while to write this, and I hope you like it. I have officially decided that this story is going to be Naru/Hina, Sasu/Saku. I need some conventional couples for once, since I have NEVER written a Naru/Hina before.   
  
I hope this will be a good enough start.  
  
Jen 


	4. Important AN!

Author's note  
  
Wow! My first A/N! Okay guys...this will be a Naru/Hina. At first, I thought of sticking him with Sakura just because I was tired and just weird in the head. But I understand that this story is definitely Naru/Hina material. Please forgive me for my previous transgressions! ;-; I am really sorry! I don't know what I was on when I wanted it to be a Sasu/Hina...Sasu/Saku would fit the plot better, now that I think about it.  
  
Anyway...thank you everyone for the reviews (again...I'm so sorry that I'm a mean author and I don't respond to any of you!!! I will soon!), I really appreciate them. The only way I could try so hard on this story is because of your support. I may not have much (I mean, compared to Naru/Hinas like Two Halves, which, by the way, is the best Naru/Hina on the net! DameWren, you're badass!), but even a little is enough to keep me going. I really appreciate all the comments you've done. Even you, davetheman, when you were really upset about this changing to Sasu/Hina then back to Naru/Hina. Although FF.Net has this problem of doing things where updates don't come around until later. Shortly after I made that update I changed it...and then it didn't show up on the page. I apologize, guys! ;-;  
  
But really—I intend to make this about as IC as I can, so don't expect any sort of in-depth confession to take place anytime in the future. Some Naru/Hina based scenes, sure, and Hinata going out of her shell little by little (by the Chuunin exam, she'll be able to kick more face than she did in the TV series and Manga! ), but nothing major until after the Chuunin exams.  
  
And Momoko will be making more appearances! Actually, she's Hinata's "Iruka-sensei"ish figure, and we still need to know how the whole Neji thing turns out with her, so she will show up often in the story to add some lighthearted cheer in-between some of the more dark, angsty scenes.   
  
Don't worry, guys. I will not let all of you down! And sorry again about the sudden lapse of judgment with couples! ;-; I'm really really sorry!  
  
Jennifer Darknight 


	5. Shinobi ni Naritai!

**_Changing Fates  
_**  
**By Jennifer Darknight  
**  
**San:**  
  
**Shinobi ni Naritai!  
**  
A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews, everyone! This is sort of my baby, so I intend to make it as good as possible. But yay! I get to write my first semi-action scene! This is my first time writing these things, but they'll get better in the long run!  
  
On with the show!   
  
....................................................................................................................  
  
Hinata's sleep the night before was restless and disturbed. Too many thoughts were plaguing her mind, and relaxation was out of the question with her jangled nerves and racing thoughts. It just...It was hard for her to get to sleep at all with the prospect of failing falling on her shoulders.  
  
66.6% of failure...Kakashi-sensei wasn't kidding. Momoko-sempai had said the same thing herself, when she popped in for a surprise visit at about 10:00 at night. It was normal for the testing Jounin sensei to bring about a survival exercise of some kind, and usually they were extremely difficult.  
  
That didn't make Hinata feel any better.  
  
To be honest, it made her feel a lot worse.  
  
So here she was, standing in her room at about five in the morning, arranging a small Ninja pouch which was full of all the essentials: her own homemade medicine, kunai, shuriken, caltrops, a borrowed grappling hook from the weaponry shack on the East Wing, bandages, and some antiseptic. She would have carried more, but she knew that if she had too many things on hand, she wouldn't run as fast and would be clunky—it would be almost impossible to hide. And what help would she be to Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san if she was just a drawback? She had to make sure that at least they passed.  
  
She tied the hitai-ate around her neck, and nodded to herself as she looked to the mirror again. She wasn't going to fail. She wasn't going to bring Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun down. She was going to be the best teammate she could be...no matter what it took.  
  
But she knew that the second she ran out the door, she would lose all of her nerve and become a shivering mouse once again. But telling herself in the sanctity of her own room, where nobody could ridicule her or treat her badly, made her feel a little better.  
  
She looked towards the mirror one last time, straightened her hair, and ran out the door.  
  
...................................................................  
  
The training field was always empty at about 5:30 in the morning. The only people crazy enough to start training that early was Neji, and even he needed sleep every now and then. Hinata stood alone in the center of the grassy field, looking around at all the trees which loomed above her in the darkness. The place was okay during the sunlit hours, but during the time when the sun was not shining, it was sure creepy. It was about as bad as the storeroom at 1 in the morning, and she almost lost her nerve to go in there and gather the needed supplies for the mission that day. She had a small arsenal of kunai in her room, sure, but they were rusty from overuse and they were hardly suitable for actual, real-time training. So she had to go down in that dark, scary storeroom where she used to think that monsters and demons roamed, just to go get a new supply of kunai, caltrops, and a grappling hook.  
  
And if she could handle that, this place wouldn't be so bad. It was only about a half-hour until sunup anyway. Hinata sat down, picking up a stick off the ground and waving it around idly, lost in her own thoughts yet again.  
  
_ Kakashi-sensei wanted us to be here early...so here I am. I wonder where Naruto-kun is...Both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san should be here soon...I mean...they can't take long...  
_  
Minutes passed. Still, nobody came. The wind was starting to get chilly, even through her jacket. She knew that she should have sewn in added insulation for times like this. But it was really more of a security blanket rather than something to warm her up when she was cold. She sighed a little bit, drawing on the dirt with the stick that sat idle in her hands.  
  
They were just random words. "Water", "Light", and "Child", at first. Then, over time, she got bored with that and tried writing her own name. It was a simplistic Kanji, and it was something that didn't really keep her mind too busy. It was just another one of her 'little habits'.  
  
Hinata.  
  
The name looked so lonely, just sitting alone like that. So she needed to write something with it. So that the name wouldn't be alone anymore. Even if she herself was alone, it wasn't right for her name to be so, especially in a pile of dirt.  
  
She smiled to herself, picked up the stick, and wrote another name:  
  
Naruto-kun.  
  
There. The name wouldn't be so lonely anymore.  
  
.......................................................................................................  
  
It wasn't until 6:30 when Sasuke arrived, but he and Hinata didn't really say anything to one another. After all, Sasuke was a man of few words, and the only things he did that even resembled conversation was glare at the smaller girl. For the five thousandth time since she had been assigned to his team, she wondered what all the other girls saw in a man who did nothing but insult them and ignore them all the time.  
  
Ten minutes later, Naruto-kun ran up, bursting with his usual excited energy. He bounced onto the scene, jumping on trees and pacing back and forth, waiting until Kakashi-sensei would show up and give them the test. Hinata couldn't help but watch him as he moved...He moved with such confidence. He looked so sure of himself.  
  
And when he spoke of 'kicking Kakashi-sensei's ass', it really lifted her spirits. It made her feel like she could do anything. Ah, this strange feeling that she had. Sometimes it wasn't welcomed, especially in nerve- wracking situations, but since nobody else was around except Sasuke (who was sitting down on a tree stump, looking down towards the grass...hardly paying attention to anything around him except his own thoughts), she didn't mind the feeling too much. She felt warm, fuzzy, and content inside. She smiled and blushed a little bit, listening to Naruto as he did his two- hour-long rant about why he was going to beat Kakashi-sensei and how he was going to be Hokage one day. It kept her mind off things, things like failing and being sent home. Disgrace and depression. Everything seemed to melt away with the sound of his voice.  
  
So...things were good for her. At least at the moment, while she listened to him and waited for Kakashi-sensei to come up and give them the test.  
  
.....................................................................................................  
  
"Dammit! It's 11:15 now. Where the fuck is he?!"  
  
"Shut up, Dobe. We don't want to hear your complaining."  
  
"What did you just call me?!"  
  
11:15. It was 11:15. Where in the world was Kakashi-sensei?! He told them to meet much earlier than this, but he was late. Just like he was when he had to meet them yesterday, only much, much later. Yesterday, it was only about an hour or so, but he was about six hours late. If she were that late to a Hyuga Clan function, her father would have punished her for sure. It was unusual for a Jounin sensei to just be flat-out late for something.  
  
Maybe something happened to him? Maybe he was attacked on the way here, and he was in the hospital or something?  
  
...In a time of peace? The Anbu standing watch at the gate would dispose of them before the intruders even got close to Kakashi-sensei, or themselves for that matter.  
  
So they had nothing to worry about.  
  
But still...where was he? Hinata was known to be a very patient person, but even she was starting to get restless, and that was a start for her. But then again, she never had to wait six hours for someone to show up to a meeting as crucial as this one. The longer he took getting there, the more worried Hinata was that she would fail in the coming test.  
  
_No...I'm not going to fail. How many times do I have to say it?  
_  
Brave words weren't getting her anywhere.  
  
Suddenly, she saw someone coming towards them. A tall figure, silver hair, a black mask on his face...her heart lifted and dropped at the same time, her anxiety building in her system as she watched Kakashi-sensei walk towards her at his leisurely pace. Naruto-kun seemed to notice as well, and his face was already contorted with annoyance.  
  
"About damn time he showed up," she heard him mumble.  
  
"Hey guys, good morning!"  
  
Kakashi-sensei gave the three students a wave as he stood there, his one eye crinkled like it would have been if he had smiled. Naruto-kun pointed at him with a look of supreme annoyance on his face, letting out a cry of disbelief as he glared at him with piercing blue eyes:  
  
"YOU'RE LATE!!!"  
  
_Naruto-kun...you're very impatient, aren't you?_  
  
Sasuke-kun looked over from his spot nearby a tree stump, where he did his usual routine of looking at the ground and brooding (at least, before Kakashi-sensei showed up). He didn't say anything, but rather glared (much like he always did—it scared poor Hinata sometimes, and she hadn't even been on his team for more than a day!) at everyone in the vicinity. If there was a rabbit walking by, Hinata was half-expected for him to kill it with a kunai for bothering him. The thought made her chest tighten, but she shook her head and tried to shake it off. Thinking about your teammate killing your favorite animal (second favorite, if you counted her supreme love of cats) was not the thing you needed to be doing when you are about to take a major test, and determine as of whether or not you can become a shinobi.  
  
Hinata kept her spot beside Naruto-kun though, and watched as Kakashi- sensei pulled out a clock from his ninja pouch and placed it on the tree stump (near which Sasuke was sitting). It was one of those small, pink things that Hinata would picture sitting on her little sister's dresser (Hinata herself had a green clock with a chibi cat on the clock face. Her Aunt Hanako got it for her for her eleventh birthday—it was her favorite). He tapped the top button, and faced the three students with an unreadable, blank expression.  
  
He then held out his hand, and the contents of which made Hinata blink.  
  
Two bells?  
  
"The clock is set for noon," he said. "The training exam is simple: you have to take these two bells from me before noon. The ones who get a bell gets lunch, and hereby pass. The one who doesn't get a bell not only doesn't get lunch and fails, but you will get tied to one of those stumps and I'll eat your lunch in front of you."  
  
Hinata felt her stomach rumble, despite itself. A small blush crossed her features, and she hoped that nobody heard that. So this was why he didn't want them to eat anything. This reminded her of when Neji-niisan had to do an exercise for her father right after he became a genin the year before. Only he couldn't eat at all for the entire day, and then he had to fight her father in a serious one-on-one fight. But since Neji-niisan lost (as everyone knew that he would), he didn't get dinner, until Hinata snuck him some of her food when her father wasn't looking. He didn't take it, but it didn't matter.  
  
"You can use your shuriken and kunai. The only way you'll win is if you come at me with intention to kill."  
  
"B-but..." Hinata stepped back a little. "D-do you want us...to attack you? You'll be...in danger..."  
  
Naruto-kun nodded with acknowledgment. "Yeah! You're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser! How are you gonna handle three of us on you at once?!"  
  
A sigh escaped the sensei's lips, and the sound of it made something inside Hinata think of her Aunt Hanako whenever Neji-niisan did something like train in the snow wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and ninja sandals. It was sort of patronizing, yet reprimanding. But Hinata herself didn't like the sound of it—maybe because it was towards Naruto-kun instead of someone like Neji-niisan, or Sasuke-kun.  
  
"Those who have the least talent bark the loudest." He said, deadpan. "So let's ignore Mr. Dead-Last and go when I say..."  
  
Hinata didn't register the orange blur flying forward, towards Kakashi-sensei. For a moment, it was only a quick show of color and lack of shape, but then the image changed. What she saw was Kakashi-sensei behind a surprised Naruto-kun, with one hand behind his head, and another on his throwing arm with the kunai he was holding aimed at the back of his throat. Naruto-kun's straggled breathing was the only thing that was heard in that short, awkward silence that was shown to them.  
  
But Hinata's heart quickened.  
  
_This...is a Jounin?  
_  
But she didn't see him move...how was she supposed to do anything, much less get a bell from him?!  
  
"Slow down..." he said in an even tone, "I haven't even said 'start' yet."  
  
Hinata looked over at Sasuke-kun from the corner of her eye. He was grinning with some form of delight. Probably at the chance to face a Jounin, much like Neji-niisan would have been if he was in this sort of situation. His mouth was curved in a sort of smirk, and Hinata couldn't help but feel a little bit intimidated. Her eyes then focused on Kakashi- sensei again, and her eyes lowered a little as she looked at him.  
  
"It seems like you guys actually acknowledge me—you came at me with the intention to kill."  
  
A chuckle escaped his lips.  
  
"You know...I'm really starting to like you guys!"  
  
In that moment, Naruto-kun was released, and he was thrown forward, although not hard enough to really hurt. Kakashi-sensei stepped back, and stood in a straight-postured position. He looked to the three genins-to-be, and spoke again.  
  
"Ready..."  
  
Hinata's muscles tensed at the sound of Kakashi-sensei's voice. This was it. This was her first test as a Ninja.  
  
"Set..."  
  
She gripped a kunai, and held it tightly, even though her entire body was shaking. She was scared, she couldn't deny that...  
  
"START!"  
  
..........................................................................................................  
  
If there was one thing that Hinata had learned during her days in the Academy, it was how to hide herself well. She was small and lightweight—smaller than even Naruto-kun (and he was one of the shortest students in the graduating class), so it wasn't hard for her to squeeze into those hard-to-reach places.  
  
A score of underbrush was her friend at the moment, and she managed to stay still, without making a single sound as she watched the clearing where Naruto-kun stood, flailing his arms and looking at the teacher:  
  
"Come and fight me, Kakashi-sensei! Come on, FIGHT ME!!!"  
  
_Naruto-kun...hide yourself. If you stay out there, Kakashi-sensei might hurt you..._  
  
But of course, Hinata couldn't say that out loud. She would not only give away her position, but put Naruto-kun in jeopardy.  
  
But why would he only have two bells? They were a team, weren't they? She understood the need to separate the weaklings from the ones who were truly strong (In Hinata's case, she was the most likely to be sent back to the Academy, while Sasuke-kun was the least likely), but for some strange reason, competing against one of her teammates, no matter how long they would actually be on the same team (five minutes to five years), just didn't strike her as something that she wanted to do. All three of them had valid reasons to become Genin (some more acceptable than others...like Naruto- kun's quest to be acknowledged, and Sasuke-kun's ambition to revive the Uchiha Clan, for example), and if any of them were sent to the Academy, the chances of them accomplishing their goals would be thrown out the window. Hinata didn't want to see Naruto-kun's broken expression, or Sasuke-kun's angered rage because either of them went back to the Academy. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if they didn't accomplish their own goals because of her selfishness.  
  
But she couldn't just give up. She had Naruto-kun on her side, and he never gave up, did he? There had to be another way. Kakashi-sensei had to have just been playing with them, getting them to be afraid so they wound fail. And there was no denying it that Hinata was afraid. Actually, she was probably more afraid now than she had ever been in her life.  
  
_ Boar, Hawk, Turtle, Eagle...  
  
Byakugan!  
_  
Her white eyes began to pulse once again, and a searing heat came over her as she switched to her bloodline limit's special vision. She could see the Chakra of all of her teammates...Sasuke-kun was a few feet away from her, hidden by some extra brush that didn't allow her to see his face, while Naruto-kun was in the clearing, yelling at Kakashi-sensei who was standing there in front of him.  
  
Speaking of Kakashi-sensei...  
  
A few more handseals were completed, and her vision zoomed in towards him. This took a lot more concentration than normal Byakugan, so it was sometimes hard to pull this off. For someone like Neji-niisan this was no hard feat, but for Hinata, who had just learned this technique two weeks before, this wasn't something that was easy.  
  
She caught a glimpse of her teacher's chakra still, but her eyes moved down towards the pouches on his body. There were two on his vest, which had shuriken in it—rather typical for a Jounin. Then there was one on his hip...  
  
There was something inside of it.  
  
One: It was some sort of book. Pink, maybe. It had two people on the front cover, a man...and a woman. They were running...and then there was a stop sign on the back of the book.  
  
Wait...stop sign?  
  
Pink cover...  
  
Man and woman running...  
  
A deep blush crossed Hinata's features. She didn't know that adults read those things...she had caught some of the boys in class reading those books, and she had caught Neji-niisan reading one once (he said that he was working as a substitute to a class for one of his missions, and that he confiscated it from one of the students, but even though Hinata was naïve, she didn't quite buy that). She personally thought that Kakashi-sensei was above that.  
  
And pulling it out at a time like this! For shame! Was he even trying to fight them at all?!  
  
But through all this thinking, she had not noticed what was going on down with Naruto-kun. She caught vague glances of the orange-clad boy trying to hit the Jounin, but now she was focusing her full attention on him. Kakashi-sensei sat in a squatting position behind Naruto-kun, who was in mid-punch. His hands were in a rather familiar shape, as if ready to...  
  
"A ninja's not supposed to get caught from behind, you idiot."  
  
Wait...  
  
That was the Seal of the Tiger...Kakashi-sensei was going to use that style of Ninjutsu against Naruto?!  
  
"Naruto-kun! Nigete! Nigete Kudasai!" She heard herself screaming, only to cover her mouth and curse the fact that she had spoken out loud. Kakashi-sensei probably knew her position...  
  
The teacher lunged forward, and it took all of Hinata's willpower to suppress a scream:  
  
"Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!"  
  
Taijutsu?! But that was a Ninjutsu stance!  
  
"1000 years of pain!"  
  
Suddenly his two fingers, in the 'Tiger' stance, attacked Naruto's rectum, sending him flying through the air with a look of absolute pain, shock, and horror on his face. Hinata herself recoiled at the sight of it, although was sort of relieved that it was just that. Instead of being some sort of special Ninjutsu, it was a poke in the butt...If it wasn't done on Naruto-kun, it would have been pretty funny...no, it was still sort of funny, even if it was done to him. She wondered what it would have been like if he had used it on Sasuke...  
  
But still...that sort of strength wasn't fair...what could they do? Naruto-kun was sent into the water of a nearby pond, and nobody was doing anything. True, Naruto-kun had run up and attacked a Jounin without thinking, but the fact that he could do it without fear was astonishing.  
  
She wanted to do something like that.  
  
She wanted to be brave like that.  
  
_ Byakugan!  
_  
Her eyes, once again, after a short reprieve to keep her head from aching, went back into that 360 degree semi-X-ray vision that she was so used to. There were no clones nearby...and Naruto was still in the water, although his chakra seemed to get bigger by the moment.  
  
And Kakashi-sensei was standing on the ground, reading his book as if nothing was happening.  
  
Maybe...if she distracted Kakashi-sensei long enough, she could buy Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun some time to get the bells while he wasn't aware of their presence.  
  
But...she was so weak. She couldn't possibly...  
  
_No. Naruto-kun wouldn't say that, would he? He wouldn't say that he was weak, and just give up.  
_  
Besides, she was on their team. She had to help them somehow.  
  
So when an opening came...  
  
Naruto-kun fell out of the water, coughing and hacking on the ground as he knelt down in front of Kakashi-sensei.  
  
The man just looked down at him, and he didn't even show a sliver of concern. Just what Hinata would have expected out of a Jounin.  
  
"Wow. You sure are weak for someone who is going to surpass Hokage." He said, looking down at the younger boy.  
  
"I know that, goddamnit!" Naruto-kun wailed, holding onto his most likely aching stomach, "I can still fight on an empty stomach!"  
  
_ Ready...  
  
...NOW!  
_  
"Naruto-kun! Look out!"  
  
Hinata was surprised at herself as she took several shuriken out of her pouch and threw them towards him (and his pouch) with all of her strength. She didn't want to give away her position, and she was too scared to move any further, but it was the least she could do.  
  
She was so scared...she was so scared! She hadn't been this tense even when she was fighting Hanabi...  
  
It wasn't only that, but she was so hungry it was hard to move.  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
Naruto-kun had cried out as the shuriken came towards the sensei, no doubt. Hinata had closed her eyes shortly after she threw her weapons, mainly due to the fact that she was so scared that she would miss, mess up, or cause problems for Naruto. Her heart was racing, and her body shook with some sort of uncontrollable emotion.  
  
"Hmmm..." She heard Kakashi-sensei's voice drift over the clearing and into her ears, causing her cheeks to burn with slight embarrassment. "It seems that our little Hyuga kitten has claws."  
  
Hinata said nothing. She hoped Naruto would get the point and jump at the Sensei when Hinata had his attention strayed for a moment...  
  
The water moved. She could hear it—first in one wave, then in several, and then she could hear many footsteps as the waves' crashing increased.  
  
A hand came to Hinata's mouth, as she looked down (her face was still red, but she managed to get the courage to look towards Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun), and saw...  
  
About twenty Narutos come out of the pond, rushing towards Kakashi-sensei. She had at first thought that they were normal bunshins, but as her Byakugan told her, there were bones, muscles, and actual blood in the bodies that came out of the water. Not just pure chakra.  
  
But what in the world was it? Nobody was taught that in the Academy...the most they learned was normal 'bunshin no jutsu'. So how...  
  
_ Oh, Naruto-kun.  
_  
"Hah! It's my specialty, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! With more than one of me here, it's guaranteed that I'm gonna kick your ass!"  
  
A sigh came out of Kakashi-sensei's mouth, even though the kage bunshin clones were dashing for him. He didn't seem worried, which made something in Hinata's system coil back. How could that have been possible? Multiple flesh-and-blood clones was something to be feared in the Ninja world, even Hinata knew that. Then why...  
  
"I'd say this couldn't last a minute. Even if you can throw Kage Bunshins around, you're still Naruto. You can't beat me with that Jutsu."  
  
Hinata shook her head where she was sitting.  
  
No...  
  
Naruto-kun could win. Naruto-kun could win no matter what.  
  
_I believe in him.  
_  
"Hinata-san."  
  
Sasuke's voice sounded next to her—calm, complacent...somewhat threatening. For a few moments, she forgot that he was even there next to her. It must have been the feat of her watching Naruto-kun...when she was looking at him, she forgot all else around her. She needed to get over that habit...especially if she was going to work with him in the future.  
  
"H-hai, Sasuke-san?"  
  
"I know about your limit." Was all he said. It was quick like a knife, and Hinata flinched. So it seemed everyone knew about the Hyuga's bloodline. That didn't surprise her. "Tell me, what do you see?"  
  
What did she see? Even with her Byakugan, she wasn't catching much. There was just the large amount of Narutos, the Kakashi with Naruto's red chakra...? Hold on, that wasn't right. Everyone had their own distinct Chakra color, depending on their personality. They couldn't just change it at will, like it seemed that Kakashi-sensei was doing. Not even the Hokage could do something like that.  
  
Dark blue chakra was above the two of them. Sasuke let out a curse, and Hinata gasped at her own carelessness before. She thought that Kakashi- sensei had forgotten about her when Naruto-kun came up with the Kage bunshins, but instead...  
  
He switched and was homing in right for them. He knew that the two were hiding right next to each other, so it was a perfect time for him to hit them when they were off-guard.  
  
_Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! I'm so pathetic_!  
  
Hinata jumped back as a few shuriken came towards them, and she felt a jerk as Sasuke grabbed her arm and threw her out towards another branch, on which she balanced with just one foot. She hopped over to one of the other trees, and looked down as Naruto-kun punched his own clone in the face, thinking it was Kakashi-sensei.  
  
Speaking of Kakashi-sensei...his chakra wasn't near them. He wasn't in their direct vicinity, nor anywhere around them, it seemed. Either he was really good at hiding his chakra—good enough to beat a Hyuga's Byakugan, or he just wasn't really there. But any good ninja doubted that the latter was even possible. He was playing with them all, yes, but he wouldn't just leave them to their own devices, thinking he was there.  
  
Where did he go?  
  
He couldn't have just disappeared.  
  
Another yell was heard as Naruto's clones got in an all-out brawl, apparently wondering if Kakashi-sensei had merged among them. If her palms weren't so sweaty, and her body wasn't so rigid, and her fear wasn't so heightened by that little scare, she would have yelled out to let him know that Kakashi-sensei wasn't there, but somewhere else. But her eyes were darting back and forth, a lump being formed in her throat, and her heart just wouldn't stop thumping in her chest. She knew he was there, watching her somewhere. And that scared her. She needed to get a bell from him, or help Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun get a bell, or else they wouldn't get lunch.  
  
But where was he?  
  
She couldn't move...  
  
She stepped forward, and her legs turned to jelly.  
  
The tension was so strong...she couldn't bring herself to move.  
  
She was so scared...  
  
No! She had to stop this. She was a graduate of the Ninja Academy! She wasn't going to let this scare her...  
  
But...  
  
Her head hurt, she was hungry, and she felt drained from using her Byakugan too long. She needed to turn it off, since her body couldn't handle extensive use yet, but...  
  
She had to find out where Kakashi-sensei was.  
  
"Hey, Hinata-chan."  
  
It was right about then that the poor girl fainted.  
  
.........................................................................................................  
  
"Oi. Hinata-chan. Okiro."  
  
The first thing she heard when she woke up was Kakashi-sensei's voice, much like it was right before she fainted. She wasn't where she was when she had fainted...instead she found herself lying down on the ground in front of a tree stump, with Naruto-kun tied up in front of it, and Sasuke- kun sitting next to her. She looked around her and blushed. They had all seen her pass out...  
  
_Naruto-kun must think terribly of me now...he probably thinks that I'm some sort of stupid failure. Well, that is true. I am the failure of the Hyuga Clan...  
_  
She looked over at Sasuke-kun, who just gave her a single nod, although his gaze didn't lose any of its previous coldness, and then she turned to Kakashi-sensei, who was towering over them.  
  
"You know what? You guys don't need to be sent back to the Academy." He said, although the lowering tone if his voice was something that Hinata did not like. She'd heard that sort of tone before. She didn't know where she'd heard it, but she knew that she'd heard that sort of tone spoken to her—and that she wasn't exactly happy after she heard it.  
  
"Really?! Really?! We're so good that you have to pass us all, huh?!"  
  
_Naruto-kun...it's probably not that easy...we failed. We probably failed because I wasn't good enough...  
_  
"You three are beyond all repair. Being sent back to the Academy is too good for a group of kids as talentless as you."  
  
She could almost hear her father saying that, but even so, she felt something inside her heart just give. She couldn't cry—she didn't cry. But she had wanted to. She felt something weigh her down—something mixed with despair, acceptance, and a bit of anger. They had worked so hard to try to get those bells. How could he say something like that? Even if she fainted, it wasn't fair to call Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun failures because of her own weakness. If he wanted to down the real culprit, he should have downed her instead. It just wasn't fair...  
  
Sasuke-kun was rushing towards Sensei already, kunai in hand, ready to cut him down on the spot. Hinata didn't need her Byakugan to see the fire shining in his coal black eyes, the anger of a man spurned.  
  
"Gyah!"  
  
"Sasuke-san! Yamete!"  
  
But he was too slow. Kakashi-sensei already had him pinned, one foot against his head. He turned to Hinata, who just stood there, staring in shock.  
  
"See? Just no skill."  
  
A glare was thrown in the kids' direction, and Hinata felt a shiver run up her spine. Only from her father had she seen such an angry, condescending expression on someone's face. She felt her stomach twist, churn, and flop around in fear and anxiety.  
  
"Are you insulting ninjas? Huh, are you? Why do you think you were divided into teams? It wasn't so us teachers could get a kick out of love triangles and angsty teenage drama, believe you me."  
  
_"You know, these Jounin senseis are really strict when you first start out, but that's only to get the team together. Once you guys start getting your teamwork in, the teachers really aren't that bad."  
  
"But Momoko-sempai, you d-don't...seem the type...t-to work...in a group."  
  
"I'm usually not, but when you have to...you have to. You have to get with the gusto. You can't just sit on your ass and do nothing. Trust me—without working together with your team, even when you're a Chuunin, you won't get anywhere."  
_  
"Then why?!" Shouted Naruto-kun. "Why don't you tell us the answer?"  
  
It was...  
  
_Teamwork.  
_  
"Teamwork."  
  
Her thoughts and his answer came simultaneously, and if she was more like Momoko-sempai, she would have slapped her forehead for her stupidity. Naruto-kun looked at him, and then at Hinata, and then at Sasuke who was still trapped under Kakashi-sensei's foot. He flailed about on the stump (why was he on the stump, anyway?), and if he was on the ground, he would have probably pointed to Kakashi-sensei with an accusing look on his face.  
  
"Whaddya mean, 'Teamwork'?! One of us would have been sent to the Academy anyway, you dumbass!"  
  
"This exercise was created to see if you could set aside your general differences and work together as a team despite the odds against you. And..." he looked towards Hinata, who gulped a little bit under his gaze.  
  
"...only one of you seemed to understand that. And even then, the poor girl passed out before she could get the three of you to work together. It takes one to make a statement, and two to tango, but it takes three to build a bathhouse."  
  
She could feel both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes on her. Hinata felt her face redden.  
  
"Naruto was just running around by himself, and even though Sasuke protected Hinata from my swarm of shuriken, he didn't stick around long enough to calm her down before she passed out, since he thought that he could do everything on his own. Oh Great and Powerful Uchiha. Individual abilities are important, but it's just as important, if not more, to have a strong focus on 'teamwork'."  
  
A pause was settled, and Kakashi-sensei let out a sigh.  
  
"I'll give you one last chance. Those who want to accept my challenge can eat lunch—although if you give any to Naruto you will fail on the spot. It's his punishment for trying to eat lunch by himself."  
  
_Naruto-kun...So that's it..._  
  
His eyes lowered again, and Hinata could feel that glare on her once again. She swallowed hard, and looked down towards her lap. She didn't have the courage to meet Kakashi-sensei's gaze.  
  
"My word is Law. You got me?"  
  
And in that moment, he disappeared.  
  
Hinata looked towards Naruto as he stood, still tied to the stump. He grinned at his two teammates, but even she could tell that it was just there to reassure them.  
  
"I can deal without food! No problem, guys!"  
  
She had to give him one thing...he was a terrible liar. She could hear his stomach growl quite clearly.  
  
Hinata looked down towards her lunchbox, and then up at Naruto. Kakashi- sensei wasn't nearby. He had disappeared, and might have been watching them. She only took a few bites out of her own lunch, but even then, it tasted bad.  
  
_ It isn't as if the cooking is bad...actually, the quality of the food is quite good. But...Naruto-kun. He can't go after the bells without even a little bit of food. I can handle being hungry—sometimes fasting is part of the training Father gives me, so it isn't as if I haven't done it before. If it's to help Naruto-kun..._

But she'd fail.  
  
Kakashi-sensei was probably a long way away. Besides, Naruto-kun was much more important right now; not whether or not she would handle misfortune. Even if she was sent back, it would be worth it if only to help her teammate. But it wasn't just that...she would have helped him even if they weren't on the same team...  
  
"He-here." She couldn't look at him, her face was so red. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she looked down towards her feet. "Y-you...n-need your strength...r-right, Naruto-kun? I'm not hungry...I-it's fine..."  
  
"Hinata-san." Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his black orbs burning into her.  
  
"I-it's all right...Kakashi-sensei's...probably...far away anyway...And...it's wrong...to um...make a teammate starve while you eat...isn't it? Kakashi-sensei said we had to...work as a team..."  
  
"Hn."  
  
She heard some shuffling, and she looked up, only to see two lunch boxes being held out in front of Naruto-kun. Hers and Sasuke's. She looked over to the raven-haired boy, and blinked a few times in just...surprise.  
  
_He...He actually...helped Naruto-kun. I thought he would just ignore him..._  
  
"I can't have you fainting on me, and being a liability. You're going to need all the strength you can get in order for you to help us get those bells. Hinata-san and I are not going to be doing this by ourselves, and I won't let you drag us behind. Hear me?"  
  
Suddenly, smoke appeared in front of the three. Hinata's eyes widened, and she cursed herself for the umpteenth time that day. She knew it was a trap. She knew it! But she just couldn't leave Naruto-kun behind! That was just against everything that she believed in...  
  
_I'm going to fail...I knew it. I dragged Sasuke-kun with me and now he's going to fail too..._  
  
"What the hell?!" Sasuke-kun cried out.  
  
But...  
  
A furious Kakashi-sensei came out of the mist, glaring at the three and causing Hinata to cry out in alarm.  
  
"Kyaaa!"  
  
"You guys...!"  
  
He stood in front of them, hands on his hips, his eye fixed in a glare that Hinata had never seen on anyone. She didn't want to get yelled at—she just wanted to be told that she was going to fail, just so that the suspense would be over. She just wanted to be told that she would fail, to be told that she would...  
  
"Pass!"  
  
_...What?  
_  
The three members of Team Seven looked at Kakashi-sensei in...utter disbelief. Sasuke looked like he was about to let out a sigh of relief; Naruto looked like a gigged frog (_It's so cute!_ Hinata thought); while Hinata looked about ready to faint...again. She looked at the sensei who was standing before them, winking at them playfully with his one visible eye.  
  
"P-pass...? We...we pass?" Hinata stammered.  
  
"But why?" Asked Sasuke in his usual darkened tone.  
  
Kakashi-sensei just wouldn't stop grinning at them from behind that mask, Hinata was certain. The way his face was set...it couldn't be anything else other than grinning. "You guys are the first that I've ever passed, you know. Everyone else just followed everything I've said, like mindless little drones."  
  
_So we passed by disobeying you?  
_  
"True," He stepped back a bit, probably to give the surprised genins some room to breathe, "The Ninja must see underneath the underneath, and those who disobey the Ninja way are considered trash. But..." A pause.  
  
"Those who don't care and watch out for their comrades...are lower than that!"  
  
Hinata's eyes brightened as she watched him. He was a mysterious, strange, very easy-going, and a bit of a pervert, but Kakashi-sensei was in a class all his own. She had never heard that from any older, high-ranking Ninja before. Her father would drill into her mind that she couldn't be 'weak' and she couldn't 'slow everyone else down', and she must 'uphold the traditions of the Hyuga family', but she didn't hear much about 'teamwork' and 'helping your comrades'. Actually, the only thing the Hyuga elders told her was that it was important to work in a group, but to keep the pride of the Hyuga Clan as a priority at all times. She wasn't the type of person who was born to 'uphold clan pride'. She was physically weak, shy around people, and didn't have the courage to talk unless she was spoken to, and even then it was hard to do.  
  
But looking at Kakashi-sensei, and looking at Sasuke-kun, and Naruto- kun...maybe there was more to this than Clan traditions and upholding reputations. She looked at them, and, even though she swore she wasn't going to do it...  
  
She cried.  
  
Her chance was not in vain. She actually succeeded at something...and she was going to amount to something...she was a member of Team Seven, and she could stay by Naruto-kun's side, and help Sasuke-kun in any way she could. Her father would be proud of her, and she would become the daughter that her father had always wanted her to be.  
  
Her body trembled with sobs, and she could hear Naruto-kun flailing on the stump, letting out cries of panic as he saw her shaking form.  
  
"Hey, hey, Hinata-chan! What's wrong?! Hey! Don't cry, huh?! We passed! What're you sad for?!"  
  
_Naruto-kun...you are such a kind, amazing person...I can't wait to spend more time with you in the future...and...Sasuke-kun...isn't that bad, either.  
_  
"I...I'm not sad..." Hinata said softly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm...j-just...s-so happy...I..."  
  
And more sobs came out of her throat, but as she had said, they weren't sad ones. They were sobs of happiness, sobs of triumph. After all, she had done something right, and had passed the Genin test with the boy she loved most, and the strongest one in their graduating class. And they weren't mad at her for slowing them down at all!  
  
And...  
  
She was a part of Team Seven.  
  
And that was the most wonderful part of all. 


	6. Yoru ni Ninja Shimashou!

**_Changed Fates  
_**  
**By Jennifer Darknight  
**  
**Yon:  
**  
**Yoru ni Ninja Shimashou!  
**  
"You have returned, Hinata."  
  
Hinata knelt down in front of the Hyuga Head, her head bowed down as she sat on her knees on the colored tatami in the meeting room. She had only been home for five minutes when her father demanded an audience, and she had to go see him without showering or without changing clothes. Usually though you had to cleanse yourself before you met the head of the Hyuga, even if you were his own daughter. Ritual, as it was called.  
  
_Naruto-kun would hate it in here,_ She thought, barely stifling a giggle. _Father would probably throw him out of the house before he could put two sentences together.  
_  
Hinata's head lifted at just the right moment, her white eyes focusing on the tall, intimidating figure that belonged to her father, Hiashi. It was hard to do that with the mental image of a chibified Naruto flailing as a group of Hyuga guards tried to throw him out of the mansion (but got attacked by about five of his equally chibi Kage Bunshin no Jutsus) engraved in her mind. He sat in the ceremonial man's brown haori with matching hakama, a katana on his hips with two similarly dressed men (her Uncle Makoto of the Bunke, and her Uncle Kokeko of the Souke)sitting on either side of him. Hinata did not smile, but she did not frown. She showed no sign of emotion as she sat up straighter, looking up at her father with a blank expression, despite the terrible feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. The room was too cold, and even though there was a lot of room around her, she felt claustrophobic just sitting there.  
  
"Yes, Father. How have you fared this day?"  
  
Ritual. Always go with the ritual. Hinata's insides squirmed and she wanted to scream, to hide, to poke her fingers and to show her nervousness openly in the way she always did when not in his presence, but if she knew that if she did so, that would be breaking the ritual, and that was something you must **_not_** do. Especially in a household as great as the Hyuga. She just had to hold her breath until she left, and then she could react all she wanted.  
  
"Quite well, thank you, Daughter." He shuffled in his seat, and that was the sign for Hinata to look down towards her lap, but she could not change expression, as her father would notice. Hyuga Hiashi noticed everything.  
  
"I noticed that you took your Genin Test early today. How did you fare?"  
  
_Fine! Wonderful! I get to stay with Naruto-kun, and nobody looks at me as weak and they treat me like a person! I'm a part of something, and one day I'll be as strong as Neji-niisan, Sasuke-san, and Naruto-kun! I won't let you down, Father!  
_  
"I...fared quite well, Father."_ Keep your head down—keep your head down, Hinata. Don't look up at him._ "I...I passed..." _Don't lose it now! **Don't!** Don't stutter!_ "A-and I'm...a part of...T-Team S-Seven."  
  
Well, so much for reacting _after_ she met with him (and was in the safe confines of an area where he wasn't in the direct vicinity). She was doing so well, too, until the actual matter of conversation was at hand. She was always okay with the pleasantries, but she would crack and look up at him when she was supposed to look down, or cower instead of looking down towards her lap with respect. She would practice this over and over with Aunt Hanako—but she would get it wrong when she would have to put that practice to use. She would have to practice some more to get this right. She couldn't see his expression, but she was sure it was a mixture of two things:  
  
Satisfaction at her success.  
  
Disappointment in destroying the ritual again.  
  
"Team Seven?"  
  
"Y-yes..."  
  
Hinata always thought that her father was...well...sort of like a golem. Tall, strong, steadfast, and unchangeable in anything. Golems were created by something and were manipulated by it, and they did not change no matter how much life tried to, and they would wonder, if they had the capability to do so, why anyone else would not fit in that single mold that he had fit in so nicely. And with his broad shoulders, heavyset jaw, and his deadened expression, it further brought her to that conclusion. Seeing a statue of him move around and dance in her mind almost caused her to laugh, but she held her tongue and waited for him to speak, or at least to dismiss her so the hard knot in her stomach could disappear.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke is on that team, is he not?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
Hinata nodded, her head still bowed. "Y-yes...he is..."  
  
A grunt came from Hyuga Hiashi's lips, and she was unsure if it was a satisfied grunt or a disappointed one. With her father, nothing was really certain.  
  
"Go on. Hanako-san told me to let you know that she wanted to see you. Dignitaries of Rain Village are coming here tonight for dinner, and I expect your attendance."  
  
"Y-yes...Father."  
  
She stood, quite slowly, her head still bowed as she kept her stance in front of him. Her hands were tight by her side, and her legs were together in a rigid motion. Her eyes still toward the ground she bowed in a seventy-degree angle (the only ones who bowed in a ninety degree angle were Bunke—and even then they didn't do it that much. The only times you really did that were when you stood in front of someone of even greater importance, like the Hokage or Kazekage) before turning sharply (Well, not so much sharply for her; she looked like she was a drunk man turning around after being blitzed than a girl leaving the presence of the great Hyuga Hiashi) and walking out of the room at a pace that was a little too fast for ritual's liking. Well, it was closer to a run, but Hinata wasn't thinking much about it. She hated the feeling she had when she sat in that meeting chamber—she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Everything was so traditional and ornate, and everything looked delicate—something a clumsy girl like her couldn't afford to be near.  
  
The moment she heard the shoji doors shut behind her, twelve-year-old genin Hyuga Hinata let out a soft sigh of relief. She was free from her father's presence for now, and she could breathe easily.  
  
The halls were rather simple, for a mansion of great importance. Nothing was on them, and the only way you could tell each room from the next was if you memorized them by reading a map—Hinata still got lost every now and then, and she would have this horrible habit of being late to meetings and whatnot with her father due to that. She was just glad she found her way to the meeting room this time.  
  
_Father would be rather cross if he had to wait for someone like Kakashi-sensei..._  
  
Hinata smiled despite herself as she walked forward and turned a bend. She knew where her Aunt Hanako would be waiting, and if she didn't get there fast enough...  
  
She quickened her pace, almost to a light jog as she went on.  
  
....................................................................................................  
  
Neji-niisan's mother, Aunt Hanako, was a very tall woman, especially for a Hyuga. She stood, with her slender build but rather large bust (Hinata would notice several male members of the family looking whenever they passed) at about five feet eleven inches tall, and her waist-length chocolate brown hair made her look even taller than that. She sat in the center of the room, dressed in a pale blue kimono with navy roses embroidered on the cloth, her hair hanging down, as always. Her serene, peaceful expression didn't change much either—unless Neji-niisan did something that was rather unpleasant or uncalled for (and that was a rare occurrence indeed), and then she could look like a Siren who was going to send innocent sailors to their deaths.  
  
Hinata took her seat in front of her, sitting in the traditional style that most Hyuga women sat in—men sat cross-legged, while women sat on their knees. She looked down slightly, and smiled a little as her Aunt gave her her usual quiet scrutiny.  
  
"A-Aunt H-Hanako...you called?"  
  
A small smile came to the older woman's lips. Well, Aunt Hanako wasn't that old...at twenty-six she didn't look much older than seventeen or eighteen. But it wasn't as if Hinata knew that many seventeen or eighteen year olds to compare her Aunt to—she barely had any social relationships with people her own age, let alone people older than she was. Aunt Hanako shuffled in her seat, and her white eyes were gentle as they beheld Hinata.  
  
"Hinata-chan, I heard that you passed your Genin Exam today."  
  
A sudden warmth came to Hinata's heart at the mention of it. Naruto- kun's happy, smiling face came to mind, glowing and shining for all to see...his self-confidence brimming over in his bright aura...Hinata's face was stained with a slight blush, and it was hard to keep her mind focused on her relative when the blond boy's face was invading (although she wasn't complaining) her thoughts.  
  
"Y-Yes..." Hinata said softly, poking her fingers together, as she always did. Aunt Hanako was the only Hyuga who seemed to not care if she did that or not. It was nice to be herself every now and then in her own home. "I-I p-passed Kakashi-sensei's t-test, but...only barely."  
  
An eyebrow rose, and Aunt Hanako let out what seemed to be a giggle. "'Kakashi-sensei'? So that's it..."  
  
Hinata blinked, and tilted her head to the side as she looked at her favorite relative. "D-Do you know...Kakashi-sensei?"  
  
Aunt Hanako nodded. "While I was just becoming a Genin, Kakashi was a Chuunin. He was to my class year what that Sasuke boy is to yours, even though he wasn't in the same classroom. I got married shortly after I got my team, so I never ran into him again. Is he still reading those strange books, like he did when I was in school?"  
  
"S-strange books...?"  
  
"Icha Icha Paradise."  
  
A blush came to Hinata's features, and remembering the book, although thankfully never actually reading it, nodded.  
  
"Y-Yes."  
  
"Why do men read those, I wonder...?"  
  
_ Naruto-kun doesn't read things like that, and he's a man_, Hinata wanted to say. But Aunt Hanako didn't know much of her crush on Naruto-kun. There were things that she liked to keep to herself—okay, a lot of things that she liked to keep to herself.  
  
"I...I don't know..."  
  
Aunt Hanako twisted a long strand of brown hair between her fingers. She would do that often, and she always looked so sophisticated whenever she did. That was what you became when you were one of the highest members of the Bunke, though. Her Uncle Hizashi ran the Bunke before he died, and then his wife, Aunt Hanako took over not only the branch, but the upbringing of their son. Neji-niisan didn't turn out badly, either. Jaded perhaps, but not at all a bad person.  
  
"That...is probably a question that shall be saved for a later date." She said, still twisting that strand of hair between her fingers. "But I am curious about this team of yours."  
  
"Ah...t-team Seven?"_ Dummy,_ she thought, _what team did you think she meant? There is only one Team Seven, after all.  
_  
"Yes...Iruka-san came yesterday while you were gone to discuss the team arrangements with me, but I don't remember who your teammates were."  
  
Hinata blushed at the thought of her teammates, despite herself. Everytime her team was mentioned, it seemed, Naruto-kun's face would come into her memory, and then she would daydream and blush more than Sakura did whenever Sasuke-san was mentioned. But why did Iruka-sensei talk to Aunt Hanako about her team? Why didn't he just talk to Father? It was true that she spent a lot of time with her Aunt, but... "Ah...Uzumaki Naruto...a-and...U- Uchiha...Sasuke."  
  
Aunt Hanako's expression didn't change, but Hinata could just feel the amusement that her relative was feeling at the moment. "The Uchiha boy, is it? I'm surprised you made it back in one piece. The girls must be frantic with jealousy."  
  
"Y-yes..."_ But I really don't care about Sasuke-san like that. I'm just happy that Naruto-kun is here for me._ "B-But...Sasuke-san doesn't...see me like that. I don't know...why the girls are...so angry at me."  
  
"It will change. Eventually Sasuke-kun will find a nice girl to settle down with, and then the whole matter will be forgotten."  
  
Aunt Hanako paused, as a rap was sounded on the shoji door. She smiled a little more, and her sweet-sounding voice carried through the room, as if beckoning to the one on the other side.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Mother, it's me."  
  
"Come in, Neji-kun."  
  
Hinata always felt tense when Neji-niisan would enter the room, and it was just the same now. His hair was in its usual ponytail, of course, but his shirt was off and a sheen of sweat covered his taut, strong muscles. For thirteen, Neji was very well-built, and although it was strange to say it about one's own cousin, he was very handsome, as well. But, despite what Neji liked to say to all those who spoke of it, he resembled his mother more in looks than he did his father, Uncle Hizashi. Uncle Hizashi was much like Hinata's father—angled, golemlike, and very tense in the facial structure. Neji-niisan looked more elegant, and, dare she say it, 'pretty'. When she first met him as a child, she almost mistook him for a girl, but she wasn't about to let anyone on to that! Especially not him.  
  
He walked past her with a cool indifference that almost made her flinch, and took a seat on the floor in the typical Hyuga man-style, to the right of the Hyuga Heir. He looked at his mother with a board-like expression on his face, and suddenly the room felt a little bit stuffy.  
  
"I was just speaking to Hinata-chan about her Genin Tests," she said. It was always 'Chan'. Out of everyone in the Branch House, only Aunt Hanako would use the affectionate suffix at the end of her name. Everyone else, Neji-niisan included, would use the more respectful (and much more embarrassing) 'sama' suffix. It felt nice, but when she did it in front of someone like Neji-niisan, or Hanabi-chan, it felt somewhat awkward to hear it.  
  
"Oh, yes." Neji-niisan's expression was still blank, but she could feel him looking at her from the corner of his eye.  
  
"I-I...I passed, Neji-niisan." Hinata shuffled in her seat, avoiding all eye-contact with Neji that she could, if only to not have to look at the condescending expression in his white eyes, which she knew that he was giving her.  
  
"So I heard," he said. "Your team got into quite a mess at the Ichiraku. I had to pay for your teammates' little mishap, Hinata-sama."  
  
Hinata winced. Aunt Hanako actually blinked.  
  
"What do you mean, a 'mess at the Ichiraku'?"  
  
"Hinata-sama's teammates got into a fight and ran out on their ramen," Neji-niisan said, saving Hinata from telling the entire story about Sasuke getting stalked by Sakura, Naruto getting jealous, Sasuke insulting him, and then the all-out fight that erupted because of it. Luckily Hinata had paid for her own ramen before dashing off due to embarrassment. "And when our team came by there for lunch, I was the one who had to pay for both my team and Hinata-sama's."  
  
"You were treating for your team again, I assume?"  
  
"Gai-sensei always chooses me for Lunch Duty."  
  
Aunt Hanako sighed, and shook her head. "It's because you're antisocial."  
  
"Social skills are unnecessary, Mother. You and I both know that."  
  
Aunt Hanako said nothing. Instead, she threw a glance towards Hinata, whose face was resembling that of a strawberry at the moment. She just wanted to hide under the table in the sitting room and never come out for the rest of eternity. She cowered a little under the older woman's gaze.  
  
"Hinata-chan, dinner should be ready soon. Will you be joining us? Or has your father required you to sit in on his meeting with the Dignitaries tonight?"  
  
"I-I have...to sit in tonight...but...um...thank you..."  
  
Aunt Hanako smiled a little larger than she usually did, tucking some spare strands behind her ear. "Please don't worry. We can always do it tomorrow night, if you're not too tired from your missions."  
  
For the umpteenth time that day, Hinata smiled. "Y-yes..." she said, not as uncertain as she usually sounded, "T-That would be nice..."  
  
......................................................................................................................  
  
"Okay, we're in."  
  
"This is Hinata-chan's room? It's so clean."  
  
"Let's think about that later, Dobe. We need to wake her up."  
  
"Eh?!"  
  
"What the hell, Uchiha? Come on, _I'm _the Chuunin here—I'm the one giving orders!"  
  
"Whatever, Peach Fuzz."  
  
"What did you call me, you bastard?!"  
  
"Oi, Oi, Sasuke! Go on and wake her up already!"  
  
"Naruto, give me that."  
  
Hinata woke that night to the sound of something blaring in her right ear. Yelping in surprise and fright, she jumped out of bed, hitting her head against the bedpost as she hit the ground and fell on her face.  
  
She jumped to her feet, ready to rush to her dresser and pull out a kunai on whoever it was that surprised her so much to make her escape from her great dream about her, Naruto, and Sasuke performing one of the most deadly missions in Konoha History. She was at the part when Naruto-kun was about to confess his undying love for her, too! Why did she always have to get woken up at the good parts?!  
  
She looked around her, frantic...  
  
Only to meet a pair of wide blue eyes, staring into her own.  
  
Hinata squeaked, and stepped back.  
  
"Oi, Hinata-chan! Didn't know that you were such a heavy sleeper!"  
  
_Na-Naruto-kun...? In my room?  
_  
She had to be dreaming again. She had to have been having a dream within another dream. But if this was a dream, Momoko-sempai wouldn't have been standing beside Naruto-kun, nor would Sasuke-san have been holding a blowhorn in his hands, glaring daggers at the other two. Hinata's eyes widened for a moment, and the expression of utter confusion clouded her features. She glanced at her clock, and then to the three who were standing in her room. Then at her clock again.  
  
According to it, it was about two in the morning. But maybe that was why Naruto-kun was standing there in a pair of orange pajama pants and a white short-sleeved-shirt instead of his normal orange sweatpants and jacket. Sasuke-san at least was fully dressed, if not a bit disheveled. Momoko-sempai was standing beside Naruto-kun with the traditional Chuunin uniform with the flak jacket and the plain black pants, her hitai-ate in its usual place around her head.  
  
"Anou...Nani...shiteru no desu ka?" Hinata asked, her voice low not just because she was naturally quiet, but also due to lack of sleep.  
  
Naruto-kun grinned. "We're gonna be performing our first mission tonight!" he announced, puffing out his chest with pride.  
  
"Mission...?" Hinata held her hands up over her face, covering her mouth so as not to have anyone see the blush on her cheeks. "But it's...Two in the morning..."  
  
She looked to Momoko-sempai, who was grinning like a madwoman who had just had a nice large dose of one of those amphetamines that the medic-nins sometimes get in trouble for taking for their own personal enjoyment.  
  
"Sometimes Ninjas are called out this early in the morning for missions." She said, "And tonight is a good taste of what you'll have to deal with in the real Ninja world."  
  
Momoko-sempai looked to Sasuke-san and grimaced. "I don't like the idea of taking him out, but I was asked to take all of Team Seven out, not just you and Naruto-kun."  
  
Sasuke-san grunted and turned away. "Do what you like."  
  
"That's right. You say that."  
  
Hinata's heart did a fluttering motion at the thought of doing her first mission, but as she looked at the clock again, her heart plummeted. She was not going to be able to get up in the morning for training the next day. But Ninjas did this, right? She looked back and forth between the three, and she could feel a smile coming on her face.  
  
"Wh...when do we start?"  
  
Momoko's grin became wider. "When you get some proper clothes on, little missy. The pink nemaki is cute and all, but I don't think the skimpiness of the skirt is really going to do, since we'll see your lacy purple panties with that pink ribbon..."  
  
Hinata promptly ran into her closet, and closed and locked the door.  
  
............................................................................................................  
  
It took about ten minutes of convincing, a high-quality lockpick (thanks to Sasuke-san), and shoving Naruto-kun out the window (also thanks to Sasuke-san) before Hinata got out of that closet to get dressed in some proper clothes and go out with Momoko-sempai and the rest of Team Seven, crawling out her window before running down the streets of Konoha.  
  
Hinata sighed to herself, clutching her jacket close to her as she looked over at Naruto-kun, who was too busy sitting in his own excitement to see her eyes fix on his own blue ones. Momoko-sempai gave her a strange look out of the corner of her eye, so the Hyuga Heir looked down towards her feet, blushing profusely as she ran on.  
  
"Oi, Momo-chan!" Naruto-kun called out as the group turned a bend. "What's our mission, huh?"  
  
Momoko-sempai stopped, clutching the duffel bag that was slung over her shoulder (how did Hinata not notice these things?!) before setting it down, opening it up and showing part of the contents for all to see.  
  
Naruto-kun grinned.  
  
Sasuke-san grimaced.  
  
Hinata just blinked.  
  
It was an...egg carton?  
  
"Ano...Momoko-sempai?"  
  
"Yeah, Hinata-chan?"  
  
"Wh-what are...we going to...do with...those eggs?"  
  
Momoko-sempai looked at the carton, then at her bag, then at the three younger genins who were standing in front of her.  
  
"Oh, these? Pelt them at houses, of course!"  
  
"Wh-what?!"  
  
Sasuke-san groaned and shook his head. "I don't believe this...you mean the Hokage had you wake us up at two in the morning, drag us out here, just to have us throw eggs at houses?"  
  
_ I doubt that's really the case,_ Hinata thought. _But I'd better not say anything. Momoko-sempai can be scary when she's mad...  
_  
"Look, it was the old man that gave the orders, not me!" Momoko- sempai shot back at him. "Besides, it's not like it's exactly _above_ you, you know. Or should I remind you about the 'possum incident' eight years ago?"  
  
A deep crimson covered Sasuke-san's face, and he glared daggers at Momoko-sempai, almost daring her to say another word. Fortunately for both of them, they didn't get a chance to speak.  
  
Naruto-kun was already prattling off. He hadn't been paying attention to Momoko-sempai and Sasuke-san's exchange—he was too busy examining the contents of the bag. "Oi, oi! Whose houses do we get to hit, huh?!"  
  
"SHHHH!" Momoko-sempai put a finger to her lips, and looked around with a nervous glint in her hunter-green eyes. "Not so loud! Even if this was assigned by the Hokage, a mission is a mission! We can't let the guys know that we're egging their houses!"  
  
"Awwwwwww...that's no fun!"  
  
"Deal with it, Naru. We gotta make this as silent as possible."  
  
"How are we gonna egg houses if we've gotta be silent?"  
  
"Easy."  
  
Momoko-sempai sighed, opened a carton of eggs, and took out one of the round things. She rolled it around in her hands for a few moments, and then smiled at herself before chunking it in Naruto's direction at full speed.  
  
Naruto-kun ducked, but the egg missed anyway. Her aim wasn't for him, it seemed.  
  
Instead, it hit Sasuke-san in the head, right in his spiky hair. The egg yolk was already oozing out of it, and getting into his raven strands and most likely causing a complete mess. It was dark, and Hinata couldn't see the damage too well. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she let out a small gasp as Sasuke, now realizing what had just happened, ran his fingers into the yolk, looking at Momoko-sempai with a dark look in his eye.  
  
Naruto-kun pointed at Sasuke-san and laughed hysterically.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oi, Sasuke! What the hell was that?! You can't even dodge a single stupid egg?!"  
  
A fist connected with the back of Naruto-kun's head as Sasuke threw him a death glare—the one that he threw at everyone, including Hinata. The Hyuga girl slunk back a little bit, feeling a steel weight in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like seeing Sasuke when he was angry, and if she said anything, anything at all, she was risking having his anger focused on her. And that was something she did not want.  
  
"You should learn to shut up, dobe." Sasuke said.  
  
Naruto-kun seethed, and threw a punch of his own in Sasuke's direction, only for the Uchiha to dodge without any effort, grabbing Naruto- kun's arm and throwing him to the side judo-style. He then looked to Momoko- sempai, who was still recovering after throwing that egg and hitting him.  
  
Momoko-sempai also looked confused. Well, a mixture of that and triumph at the fact that she had thrown an egg at Uchiha Sasuke and didn't miss. She put one hand over her mouth, and her face was suddenly blank as she looked at him.  
  
"Um...you were supposed to dodge." Momoko-sempai said.  
  
"But I didn't." said Sasuke flatly.  
  
"But you should have. You're the Great Uchiha Sasuke." She shot back.  
  
He didn't say anything. Instead he walked to the bag and fished through it. Hinata tilted her head to the side and ran to Naruto-kun, who had just recovered from being thrown moments before. She knelt down, looking at the blond boy who glared at the Uchiha, who was still looking through the duffel bag at Momoko-sempai's feet.  
  
"What the fuck's his problem?" Naruto-kun growled, jumping to his feet. "Why's he always have to act so cool all the time..."  
  
Splat.  
  
Hinata gasped for the third time that night, and looked at the back of Naruto-kun's head, on which an egg was sitting, the yolk flowing into his beautiful blond locks. It was sort of depressing to see such lovely hair pelted by eggs, but at the same time...  
  
It was sort of funny.  
  
Naruto-kun turned to Sasuke, feeling the back of his head and contorting his face in an expression that was hard to understand. On one side, he looked angered that Sasuke would throw the egg at him. But at the same time, he also looked...rather...amused. Hinata didn't do anything. She just looked on.  
  
"Oi..."  
  
"Payback for laughing, dobe."  
  
Of course, Momoko-sempai's hair didn't go untarnished, either. She saw one big yellow mess on her forehead, flowing down her face and dribbling off her chin. Her dark brown locks were smeared with the yellow stuff, and she was holding a carton in her hands, egg ready to fly.  
  
Just as Naruto-kun launched himself at Sasuke, who was also holding a carton of eggs in his hands, Momoko-sempai launched an egg assault, sailing over Sasuke and Naruto-kun and landing two inches away from where Hinata was standing. She backed up a little, and then looked toward Momoko-sempai.  
  
Her face was fixed in a huge grin, and her green eyes were flashing, almost...maniacally. She picked up another egg, and threw it. Hinata backed up a little more, towards the wall of a nearby house, and the egg just missed her by about a few centimeters. She looked down at the fallen culinary item, and up at her again. She saw her expression, and then backed up against the wall.  
  
Another flew, and she barely got away from it.  
  
Something clicked in her mind, and then Hinata knew.  
  
Team Seven's Annual Egg Fight had officially begun.  
  
...........................................................................................................  
  
"Oi, Momo-chan! No fair, no fair! Attacking Hinata-chan when she was defenseless!" Naruto-kun threw Momoko-sempai a rude glance as he picked some of the extra eggshell off of his clothes. Sasuke-san had decided to go home to wash his clothes and rest up for the next day's training, but Hinata and Naruto-kun went with Momoko-sempai to her apartment, where Hinata could get changed and clean her clothes without her father asking anything, and Naruto-kun could score free ramen off of Momoko-sempai for dumping an entire carton of eggs over his head. But Hinata didn't get much better—Momoko-sempai had decided to corner her and pelt her with eggs until Naruto-kun threw three eggs at once towards the Chuunin's head—which was about ten minutes or so. Luckily she wore an old sweatshirt of hers (which she never wore) instead of her usual jacket, so she didn't have to worry about eggs staining it. Washed or no, her father would definitely ask questions if he saw her in egg-stained apparel.  
  
"It was a free-for-all egg battle, Naru! I couldn't just let her come out unscathed!" Momoko-sempai set down the finished ramen in front of Naruto-kun, who stopped chattering for a moment and downed it all in one sloppy gulp. Hinata hid her amazement at how quickly the blond could eat, but still blushed at the mere sight of his sparkling blue eyes. Even looking as disheveled, sticky, and egg-covered as he was, Naruto-kun still had his handsome charm to him.  
  
And the fact that he was complaining about her getting pelted made her face become even more red. After all, it wasn't every day that someone you liked got upset because you had eggs thrown at you in an egging war. Everyone was supposed to get egged, but then...  
  
_He worries about everyone,_ Hinata thought. _He even worried about Sasuke-kun when Momoko-sempai hit him in his...place...with several eggs in succession, despite the fact that he laughed for several moments afterward. But, they are both boys, so I guess Naruto-kun would understand that better than I would...  
_  
"But still," he whined, "She's a girl."  
  
Momoko-sempai's eyes darkened. "So am I."  
  
"Yeah, but...Hinata-chan's all quiet and nice."  
  
He didn't notice Hinata's face turn a brighter shade of red. Her heart started to beat faster, and she hid her face behind her hands, so that the poor boy wouldn't have to see her like this. It was so embarrassing!  
  
_Quiet...and nice? Naruto-kun thinks that I'm...  
_  
All animosity left Momoko-sempai's face in an instant. She glanced at Naruto-kun from her place behind the stove, and winked in his direction.  
  
"Ah, sou. 'Ojisama wa ohimesama o mamori no koto' tte?"  
  
That was it. Hinata wanted to crawl into a deep hole and just rot in there for the rest of her life. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, and her face was burning redder than the embers of a bonfire. She looked to Naruto- kun, and then to Momoko-sempai. Then to Naruto-kun again.  
  
At least she wasn't the only one who was blushing—his cheeks were a fair shade of red, too.  
  
"Ano...Momoko-sempai..."  
  
Another wink was thrown in Hinata's direction. That just caused her to feel even more flustered, and her stomach tied into even more knots, causing a wave of anxious nausea to rush through her. Her heart pounded, and Naruto-kun looked down at his new bowl of ramen (Momoko-sempai put one down as she was talking) and started slurping it up.  
  
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you don't look the part. Naruto looks like the brash, blond-haired prince, and Hinata-chan is the dark- haired, shy princess from the Ancient kingdom. Both are from Warrior lands, but the beautiful princess hates the concept of killing people, so the brave Naruto decides to give his entire life to protecting her!" Stars filled Momoko-sempai's eyes, and Hinata could have sworn that there was a pastel background with bubbles and hearts dancing behind her, much like her favorite shoujo romance manga. "It's so romantic!"  
  
"What would you be?" asked Naruto-kun. His face had now only changed to a slight tinge of pink, as he was interested in Momoko-sempai's story, now. Hinata couldn't help but imagine him sitting on that white horse, saving her from danger whenever she needed it, smiling at her and carrying him in her arms bridal-style...  
  
"Me?" Momoko-sempai blushed a little bit herself, and she held her face in her hands like a ten-year-old schoolgirl who was talking about her childhood crush. "I'd be the Castle Librarian who falls in love with Princess Hinata's cousin, who is as skilled with the sword as he is handsome..."  
  
_Neji-niisan...Of course.  
_  
Naruto-kun made a face. "Mleh. Sounds like Sasuke."  
  
Momoko-sempai lifted a finger and grinned. "Nah. Sasuke would be the Dark Knight who would try to steal Princess Hinata away, but the powerful Naruto would defeat him in a most intense battle."  
  
A grin came to the blond's features, and Hinata's heart did a somersault inside, before doing a pirouette and dancing around like a bunch of butterflies. His grin was so cute and infectious. It was hard not to smile yourself when basking in his sunlit presence. "Hell yeah! I'd kick Sasuke's ass any day!"  
  
"Heh. I'm looking forward to seeing it." Momoko-sempai turned off the stove and spun around, heading out of the kitchen and across the living room in her usual quick stride. "Anyway, I'm gonna take my shower first. You guys wait here 'til I'm done."  
  
And then she was gone.  
  
Hinata started to panic, although she was pretty sure that she wasn't showing it outwardly. She was alone in a room with Naruto-kun, and the only one who could save her from fainting was Momoko-sempai, and she was in the shower. They weren't sitting next to each other (Hinata was on the couch, and Naruto-kun was sitting at the kitchen table, long since finished with his bowl of ramen), so her emotional attack was lessened somewhat, but not much.  
  
This was her chance...but...she didn't know what to say! What should she say, what should she do? She was his teammate, but she didn't know anything that she could say to him to bring up some conversation. Or at least to ebb away the feelings that were welling up inside her.  
  
"Heh, heh! That was a lot of fun, wasn't it Hinata-chan?" Hinata looked up from her lap and over toward the object of her affections, who was grinning his wide grin in her direction. She tried to fight down the blush that was forming on her cheeks, but it was no use.  
  
"Uh...uh-huh." She sputtered out, cursing herself for her own lack of words. "It's...been...quite a day, hasn't it?"  
  
Naruto-kun nodded. How was she able to say this much to him without fainting? "Yep. First we get Kakashi-sensei's weird test, and then I get to pelt Sasuke with eggs and make him go home looking like shit! Man, I could get used to this!"  
  
_Today was wonderful, Naruto-kun...I loved all the time I spent with you.  
_  
"Heh, heh...Ano sa, Ano sa, Hinata-chan! What was that thing you did with your eyes before? That was cool!"  
  
"What I...did...with my eyes?"  
  
"Yeah!" Naruto-kun hopped off the seat and stood. "When we were waiting for Kakashi-sensei on the day we got our teams, you did this thing with your eyes. You did this seal-thingy," he moved his hands in a rather awkward motion, just to illustrate his point, "And then there were these lines around your eyes, like this" he drew some lines around his own eyes with his fingers, and put on this mock-serious expression that almost made Hinata burst out laughing—it just was so awkward and funny. But she wouldn't dare laugh, lest she hurt his feelings. "What was that?"  
  
"It's..." How could she explain this? "An ability that runs...in my family. W-we channel Chakra...into our eyes, and...we can see things...that you couldn't see...normally."  
  
"Like ghosts and stuff? Cool! So you could see when an enemy-nin comes miles away, huh?!"  
  
"I-it's a little...more than that...but, yes. I could. I...I'm not too good at it, but...I'm training with it..."  
  
Naruto-kun's eyes sparkled, and Hinata felt her heart almost stop. They were looking at her. Almost like he was looking into her, really. With those deep, beautiful, blue orbs, which looked like the ocean, that stretched for miles on out in its infinite glory. Hinata could lose herself in them, they were so pretty...  
  
"Oi, Hinata-chan! You okay?"  
  
She looked down towards her feet, her face reddening even more. She nodded, and hoped he didn't notice her spacing out.  
  
"Ye-yes...I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto-kun."  
  
"Hey, no problem!" That smile. That same sunny smile was on his face. "What're teammates for, huh? Ano sa, Ano sa, Hinata-chan!"  
  
Hinata glanced up a little bit, barely meeting Naruto-kun's animated, intense gaze.  
  
"Ha-hai?"  
  
"Let's kick ass on our missions tomorrow. We can't let Sasuke get all the glory, can we?"  
  
Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened a few rooms down, and Momoko- sempai's voice sounded through the room, sending both twelve-year-olds to their senses:  
  
"Oi! Hinata-chan! Your turn to take a shower! I got some dry clothes for you to wear until I clean the clothes you got egg on."  
  
Hinata nodded, bowing to Naruto-kun before trotting down the hall towards the bathroom, a feeling of relief washing over her. Relief at getting a chance for her heart to stop pounding, mind you. She passed Momoko-sempai, dressed in a fluffy pink bathrobe with a towel on her hair as she walked towards the bathroom and was prepared to close the door.  
  
"Oi! Naru!" Momoko-sempai said. It was barely audible, but she could still hear it.  
  
"Momo-chan! You're wearing PINK!"  
  
"Well, I am a girl. What, you thought Hinata was the only person who walks around wearing pink nemaki and purple panties with pink ribbons? Dream on."  
  
Hinata's face burned, and she rushed inside the room and bolted the door shut. She couldn't bear to come out now—not while Naruto-kun knew the color of her...  
  
Wait. That wasn't true.  
  
Hers were blue with a green ribbon.  
  
_Why would someone lie about the color of someone's panties?_

"Ano sa, ano sa, Momo-chan?"

"Yeah, Naru?"

"You didn't _really_ take us out on a mission, did you?"

"Nope."

"I knew it! The old man would never ask us to do something that cool!"

_Naruto-kun..._

...Hinata still wasn't getting out of that bathroom.

* * *

A/N: YES! Done with chapter four! It took me a while to write it, but it's done now! After another chapter about Team Seven's first REAL mission (Which will come out soon, hopefully), I'll start on the Tazuna Arc, which should take a couple chapters or so to do. I'm sorry if this chapter is sort of sporadic and short, but I wanted to get so much on paper with so little time to do it in, so please forgive me. That there was the first fluff (or really, fluff-ish) scene in the entire fanfic, and there will be much more later. And this chapter itself was inspired by a true event, which I wanted to incorporate the characters in. I might make an edit and write the egg fight in itself, but that won't be until I get the Tazuna Arc out of the way, which will take a while for my poor brain. ;-;  
  
Anyway, about the phrase "Ojisama wa Ohimesama o mamori no koto." In Japanese, that means "For the Prince to protect the Princess". It's a phrase that Momoko will spout out every now and then, so I'll translate it now so you can remember it later. And you just got introduced to Neji's mother, Hanako! I don't know much about his mother, so I created my version of what I pictured her to be like. She, like Momoko, will have an important role later, not only for the sake of getting Naruto and Hinata together (although that's a lot of it), but also to drive the story. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you'll see. Trust me! 

And if anyone's curious about the 'possum incident' that was mentioned in this chapter, it will be explained in due time. Just not now--actually, don't even expect it to come up again until much later in the story. But trust me, it will be explained.   
  
But click that pretty little button down there and review. I would be so happy if you did!


	7. AnoSouji Shitteru?

**_Changed Fates_**

**By Jennifer Darknight**

**Go:**

**Anou...Souji shitteru?**

It was hard for Hinata to get out of bed at all the next morning. She had gone back home from Momoko-sempai's house (Naruto-kun demanded that he walk her home, since it was wrong for a girl to go home by herself at that time of night) at about five in the morning, and she set her alarm for seven, so that would give her two hours of sleep before she had to get up and train with Team Seven.

But as much as she liked to try to convince herself that she could live on one to two hours' sleep, the fact that she was ready to fall over destroyed that possibility. But she pushed that in the little box that Hinata liked to keep in the back of her mind, with all the other things she could not do. The box was almost full, too. She'd have to make another one to fill in the rest of the cracks.

It was impossible to think of anything now. She was just so tired...She barely felt herself roll out of bed and hit the floor with a hard thump. She was so groggy that she couldn't feel anything really. The alarm was blaring in an unknown field somewhere in her consciousness which couldn't be touched by her own inferior ears, and her body was a lead weight that had been thrown under water. Momoko-sempai's t-shirt and shorts were still clinging to her lithe form (she was so tired she just fell over the second she got to her bed), and she couldn't even stand, she was so tired after last night's activities.

It would have been too easy to just lay down and just sleep the rest of the day away. She was in the mindset for it, and the mere thought of Naruto-kun walking her home made her drowsy with dreamy shoujo goodness. Neji-niisan could burst into the room, throw her out the window, and beat the living stuffing out of her and she probably wouldn't notice. Father could have joined in too, and it would have been equally futile.

But still...didn't she have missions today?

Missions...not like the 'mission' that Momoko-sempai had assigned her the day before. Actual, true, honest-to-God missions. And she'd be working side-by-side with Naruto-kun...

Well, that got her up reasonably fast. Well, not up enough to where she could think straight, but up enough to where she wouldn't be a total zombie when she came in that morning at the usual meeting spot.

But she actually had to pull together the effort to get dressed.

Oh boy, that would be a toughie.

But she thought that she could wing it.

After all...she was a Hyuga, wasn't she?

Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun were already by the bridge when she arrived. Well, that wasn't surprising. She actually had to pull together the effort to get out of bed after only two hours of sleep, she then had to eat breakfast with her father (he was not about to let her leave without doing that, failure or no), and then she had to make a bentou large enough to feed Sasuke-san, Naruto-kun, AND herself. That took her until about nine, and it took about fifteen minutes to walk (not run—the bentou would get messed up if she ran) to the place where her teammates were going to meet.

Life goes on in Hyuga Hinata's life.

Just as it does in the city.

Naruto-kun was the first to notice her. He jumped down from the high branch of the tree he was balancing on, waving to her as he hopped off.

"Oi, Hinata-cha..."

**_WHAM. _**

And he landed face first into the ground. Hinata gasped and ran towards him, kneeling by his side in an instant, looking him up and down.

"N-Naruto-kun! Da-dai...joubu desu ka?!"

Naruto-kun scratched his head and grinned. Just the look on his face made the Hyuga heir want to melt into a puddle of happy, warm, pink-colored goo. But instead of doing that, she just blushed, looking down towards her lap and nodding a little bit. She cursed her own lack of courage to talk to him, but that was just how it was. It was so hard! She could barely look at his face for a few seconds without blushing profusely. She managed to look up again to give him one last look-over before blushing even redder, twiddling her fingers in her embarrassment.

"Ehehehe...Daijoubu dattebayo!" said Naruto, that foxy grin still stuck on his face. He looked so cute!

"Ha-hai...yo-yokatta..." Hinata said softly, letting out a sigh of relief. She really didn't have to worry about Naruto-kun. He could take care of himself just fine. But she was just that kind of person.

_But you really need to stop that, Hinata..._

Sasuke-san looked up towards her from his spot next to the tree and nodded, acknowledging her presence, and then turning to Naruto-kun, who was still sitting down by Hinata. He walked forward a few steps, and then stopped, looking at both of them.

"He's late..." was all he said.

Hinata nodded. She knew who he was referring to.

"Yeah! Why the hell is that stupid pervert sensei so damned late!? I know! He's out there seducing innocent girls to pose for all those nude pictures that he keeps in his room!"

...And apparently, Naruto-kun knew as well.

"Naruto."

Naruto-kun turned to Sasuke, whose expression was...well, annoyed, to say the least.

"Whaddya want?!"

"...How do you know that Kakashi-sensei has nude pictures in his room?"

_Oh, dear. Here they go again..._

Well, about three hours, thirty-five minutes, and twenty-two seconds later, the familiar form of Kakashi-sensei was seen trudging up the road, whistling a little bit as he read Icha Icha Paradise, like he always seemed to do when he was around them. The sensei stopped in front of them, put down his book, and crinkled his eyes as if he was smiling. Sasuke-san looked up at him for a moment and scoffed. Hinata blushed and didn't say anything in fear that she'd be rude.

But Naruto-kun...

"OI! KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU'RE LATE!!!!!!!!"

Kakashi-sensei waved him off, shrugging a little bit. He looked down towards his book again, and then towards the three students that were standing in front of him. Naruto-kun crossed his arms, and gave Kakashi-sensei a look that could kill. Hinata bowed, just to be polite.

"Oi, oi, sorry about that, guys. My next-door neighbor was having a baby, and like the gentleman I am I couldn't just leave her alone..."

"YOU LIAR!!!!!!!"

_Naruto-kun...you shouldn't just assume..._

Another smile crossed Kakashi-sensei's features, and he pulled out a scroll from his pouch, opening it so he could read it to them.

But he didn't read it out loud. Not at all. He just went over it for a few minutes, and then looked back up at the three genin, who just looked at him expectantly. Hinata could swear that he was grinning under that mask of his.

"Well guys, it seems that your first mission is planned for this afternoon." He said, looking over the scroll again. He didn't even glance towards Naruto-kun, who was just about ready to jump for joy at the mention of the word 'mission'. Hinata herself could feel her stomach churn with anxiety, but at the same time she felt happy butterflies in her chest.

"This afternoon?!" Naruto-kun jumped up and down where he stood, ready to jump at the Jounin-sensei and take the green scroll right out of his hands. "What're we gonna do, huh?! Fight some bandits?! Rescue a princess?! Beat the hell out of a bunch of enemy shinobi?!"

"We're mere genin, Naruto." Sasuke-kun said, rolling his eyes.

Naruto-kun whirled around towards Sasuke-kun, and Hinata knew that this was going to be the start of another one of their numerous fights. They had gotten into it three times that morning: Once about Naruto's 'knowledge' of Kakashi-sensei's activities, another time about Sakura-chan's affections, and the last time was about the size of their 'most important' pieces of anatomy (just the thought of that conversation made Hinata blush).

Hinata hoped that they wouldn't fight again. They were teammates—they were supposed to get along. Not fight all the time.

"What did you just say?!" Naruto-kun cried.

Hinata looked towards Kakashi-sensei and spoke, in an attempt to keep the conversation running in the right direction:

"A-anou...wh-what's...the...mission...Kakashi-sensei...?"

A slight chuckle escaped the Jounin's lips. Or at least, through the mask. Why didn't he take that off? Maybe he had a charred face and he didn't want anyone looking? Hinata had a lot of images running through her head at the moment, but she didn't have time to be thinking about that, amusing as images of Kakashi-sensei with a fish face might be.

The Jounin looked down towards the Hyuga, and he looked down towards the scroll again before looking back at her again and speaking:

"Well, it's a rather difficult mission, assigned by a man that we only know under the initials: KaHa."

"KaHa?" Sasuke turned away from Naruto for a moment, and gave Kakashi-sensei a questioning look.

Naruto-kun, though, was a bit more enthusiastic.

"His initials, huh? He must be tracked down by a great Nin-society, and he doesn't wish to give out his true identity, in fear that he will be caught and killed!"

"...Ehehe...not...quite. But good guess, Naruto."

"EEEEEEEHHHHHHHH?! Then why does he go by his initials? Huh? Huh?"

Kakashi-sensei shook his head, and then looked back down at Naruto. He didn't say a word, but sometimes you can just tell what he was about to say. Even though he didn't even say it.

"Then what do we have to do?" prattled on Naruto. "Do we have to beat up some guys who are threatening him, or what?"

"No, you don't. Your job is something triply difficult than that."

"OH! We get to fight a bunch of shinobi?!"

"Just..." he chuckled again, and turned his backs to the students. "You'll see. Follow me."

The three did as they were told, but each of them had their own doubts filling their heads. Hinata felt a strange pressure in her stomach, but she had no idea why...

"Well, here it is."

"Ano...Kakashi-sensei..."

"Hai, Hinata-chan?"

"It's...an...Apartment..."

"That's more or less the idea."

The building stood before them, towering over their shorter figures as they looked up at its decaying walls and tinted, grimey windows. Each genin looked at it in a different fashion than the others; Sasuke with disgust, Naruto with a mixture of disappointment and maybe a little excitement, and Hinata with anxiety. The place looked like it was going to fall apart at any moment, and there was a little voice in the back of the Hyuga's mind (you know, the one who talked to her all the time, but she ignored it) that this mission was going to be worse than the time she and Aunt Hanako had to clean out Hanabi-chan's room and throw out all of her dirty clothes that she refused to let the maids touch because she didn't want their 'lowly hands' touching them.

_Oh, it couldn't be that bad_, Hinata thought, trying to keep her positive attitude up. But she knew that that positive attitude would be gone in a few minutes anyway, so what was the point of trying to keep it where it was?

"Oi, oi! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto-kun looked towards the Jounin-sensei, but he said nothing. Instead, he just led them forward, towards where the place they were supposed to perform their mission. They walked up three flights of stairs, a fire escape, three garbage chutes, and then they finally landed on their feet in front of a door that was covered with some moss and a bit of dirt. The nameplate was illegible, and if you were an American who liked older teenage-ish movies, it would remind you of the movie "Joe's Apartment" with the dancing roaches and the guy whose apartment looked so bad that even exterminators wouldn't get close to it.

Hinata felt like running, herself.

But if this was where they had to be to perform their mission...

No—she would endure it. Even if it DID smell worse than someone died and was covered with animal feces.

But...the mere idea of going in there made her stomach queasy.

Naruto-kun, though, was pumped to go inside there. He strode to the front, crossed his arms over his chest, put on a cocky grin, and...

...Promptly kicked the door down. Hinata was amazed at his boldness. Not even Momoko-sempai took candid pictures of Neji-niisan with such eagerness. Not that she ever succeeded, mind you. Lee-san would always make Momoko-sempai's plans obsolete, so she couldn't even attempt them (and that made her cranky every single time).

But...

Sasuke let out a cough.

Naruto-kun looked ready to throw up.

Hinata just stared.

That room...that room...it was...the most ugly thing that Hinata had ever seen in her life—even worse than Hanabi-chan's room on its worst day. Dust lined the four walls of the living room, old ramen cups sitting around on the tables with books and dirty clothes covering the entire floor. Flies weren't buzzing around the room, but the dirt was still fresh. A TV was overturned in the living room, and an unused gaming system was sitting in front of it. The smell of old miso soup permeated through the air, and Hinata felt herself get sick. There was nothing worse than the smell of old miso, and this proved it.

The silence stayed between them—one that had a tinge of disgust edged into it. Kakashi-sensei was the first to speak, knocking the three out of their reverie:

"Well, have fun, guys!"

_'Have fun?'_

Naruto-kun gagged. " 'Have fun'?! Whaddya mean by that, Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Your first mission...is to clean up this dump!"

"EEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH?!?! Nani?!"

"Hmph. As expected."

"A-Ano..."

Hinata was ready to hyperventilate, to put it lightly. They'd have to...clean..._this_?!

She stepped forward, looking up at Kakashi-sensei with her soft white eyes. But she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She didn't want to be rude and question her mission. But...still...

How?!

Sasuke-san stood in the living room, looking at the two other genin with his usual cold expression. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking down towards the floor. Naruto-kun stood to Hinata's right, and Hinata looked towards the Uchiha survivor with an apprehensive look. Sasuke-san never failed to look intimidating, even when he didn't even try to. Hinata didn't want to say anything that would incur Sasuke's anger.

"Anou...what...do we...do now?"

Sasuke-san sighed, and then shook his head. He didn't want to do this either, apparently. He was just more quiet about his distaste. He jammed his hands in his pockets and looked around the room once before turning to the two others who were looking straight at him.

"We're going to have to get separate jobs." Sasuke-san said simply.

"Separate jobs?" Naruto-kun didn't seem to like getting orders from Sasuke-san. It was obvious in the way he glared at him. "Oi, oi, Sasuke! You're just gonna give me and Hinata-chan the hardest jobs while you do the easiest stuff!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not gonna take orders from you!"

"Say what you want, Dobe. But arguing won't make this house any cleaner. I don't know about you, but I want to get out of here before midnight."

Hinata was in agreement with Sasuke-san, but she didn't say it aloud.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke-san, and then turned to Hinata and smiled brightly.

"Ne, ne! Hinata-chan! You agree with me, don't you?"

Oooh. A bad thing to ask. On one hand, Hinata could agree and lie, and on the other hand, she could tell the truth and get Naruto-kun upset. And she didn't want to make Naruto-kun upset—but then again, she didn't want to lie either. This was what she hated about making decisions...

"A...ano...um..."

Sasuke-san walked towards one messy cabinet, and started arranging the objects on it, not looking at Hinata or Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun looked towards Hinata, and then towards Sasuke-san.

Naruto-kun gave Hinata a pouty look, and that made the distress in her mind even worse. She couldn't say 'no' to him when he was like that. She couldn't say 'no' to anyone when they were like that...she didn't want to make anyone unhappy. She looked back and forth between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san, and then she nodded to herself.

She had to get out of this situation, and fast.

"Ano...I'm going to...um...clean the kitchen..."

That was her first instinct. Just say that she was doing something else to dodge a topic that might prove unpleasant or cruel to the one who was suggesting it. She looked around the room, and ran towards the only area that could possibly be the kitchen—the door to the right. The doors to the front were obviously the bedroom and bathroom, due to their position. But the kitchen in a normal apartment was located to the right of the front door, and usually it was very small.

So she ran towards it and flung the door open.

And nearly fainted.

The smell of old miso and rotting food attacked her nostrils the moment she opened the door. Appliances were lying everywhere in a mess, and old food was thrown about as if it was the newest fashion statement. The counters were covered with a messy substance that she didn't even care to identify, and the refrigerator was wide open, as if it was recently in use. She stepped over the old cans of red bean paste and brown bean paste and looked towards the fridge, as to close it so the door wouldn't impede her work space.

But the moment she put her hand to it, she blinked.

She didn't feel anything cold.

No, it was quite warm.

Did it even work?

There was a small crack between the refrigerator and the counter, and since she was small she managed to squeeze into it, looking behind the appliance to see if there was anything wrong with it. She didn't know the first thing about refrigerators, but Aunt Hanako's broke so often that she could notice the signs that it was broken, at least.

But none of the signs were there. Nothing was smashed, and there was no fluid coming out of the back. It looked perfectly fine...except one thing.

There was a plug—it was one of those plug-in ones, apparently.

And it wasn't plugged in.

Did this man even know how to take care of his own house? His wife must be a very sad woman. Maybe she left him because he was so dirty.

She knew that Neji-niisan wouldn't have even looked at someone who was slightly cluttered in their habits. Either that or he would have cleaned their house every single day he came by. His cleanliness obsession was well-known in the Hyuga home, and Momoko-sempai had even made a conscious effort to clean her house thoroughly every day so that when he did come to see her, he wouldn't be upset with a dirty atmosphere. She was so devoted to him, it was very endearing.

But endearing as it was, it still wasn't going to make this kitchen any cleaner with her thinking about other things.

_This...needs to be done..._

She rolled up her sleeves and started to pick up the old cans off the floor. That was a start, wasn't it?

"GYAHHH!!!!"

The kitchen had just been finished when Hinata heard a loud scream come out of the living room. She almost fell over as she heard the sudden noise, instead dropping the rags that she was holding all over the floor. She knelt down and scooped them up in her hands, but not before she heard more noises coming from what seemed to be the living room:

"What the hell is this?!"

_Na-Naruto-kun! _

"...Urusei."

_Sasuke-san..._

"It's bubbling and stuff! Is it supposed to do that?!"

**_CRASH! Whack! _**

Hinata didn't think twice about leaving the now-clean kitchen behind to run into the room where all the sounds were coming from. Her heart raced, and her body tensed up at all the loud noises that were coming from there, and loud noises weren't too good of a sign from her personal experience.

She peeked into the living room, and the sight of it all almost made her burst into a fit of giggles.

Naruto-kun was so cute.

There he was, sitting in the middle of the room, covered in bubbles from laundry water, grabbing onto a washtub and tangling with it like he was fighting against it in battle. If he just had some cute doggy ears and a tail, she'd think the image was perfect. Some clothes were lying strewn around him—the clothes he had to wash, no doubt—and there was a pair of pants slung over his shoulders as he tangled with the washtub. His jacket was off, too—he was instead donning a thin black shirt that, since it was wet, clung to his form. A deep blush came to Hinata's cheeks.

Sasuke-san was standing in the corner, shaking his head as he looked outright embarrassed to have Naruto-kun in his presence.

Naruto-kun stopped moving for a moment, and then looked up towards Hinata, who just couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He grinned and scratched his head.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" he said in his usual cheery voice. Hinata nodded her head in acknowledgment, but just couldn't keep her head up.

"Na-Naruto-kun...daijoubu?"

The blond nodded. "Yep, I'm fine!"

And then his hand slipped on the washtub, and he fell flat on his face...

Straight into soapy water.

Hinata was already at his side when he got up, coughing a bit as he tried to get the water out of his mouth, which probably tasted horrible. He shook his head, and then looked up, straight at Hinata.

"A...Ano...would you...um..."

A pause.

"Like...some help?"

_Good girl! _

If she had an Inner Hinata, she would have jumped up and down with triumph. Progress...yes, there was progress! She had managed to speak a few words to him without dying, although even that took all of her willpower to do. But as he looked straight at her with those deep, cheery blue eyes, she was starting to get scared. Maybe he didn't want her help after all? Maybe she was just being rude and impertinent, maybe...

Until that sunny smile became even larger, and his eyes sparkled even more at her.

"Hey, thanks! You're really nice, Hinata-chan!"

_Na-Naruto-kun...I..._

"I only have a washing machine at home, and even then Iruka-sensei has to help me set it up whenever I wash clothes because it always breaks whenever I touch it. He said something about it overheating or something. But do you know how to do this by hand, Hinata-chan? I can't figure it out. There was this weird serrated thingy, but I don't know what to do that for, so I put the bucket on it, but I don't think that works either..."

He scratched his head, and then grinned at her. Hinata gently picked up the tub and then grabbed the scrubber board from under it. She set it down at Naruto-kun's feet.

"Ano...you're supposed to...scrub the clothes with it..."

"Scrub them?" Naruto blinked. "I thought you scrubbed with sponges."

She picked up a pair of shorts from nearby, and made scrubbing motion against it with them.

Naruto-kun opened his eyes a little wider, and then stared at it.

"So...that's how you use it?"

Hinata nodded. The words just wouldn't come out of her mouth to speak.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan!"

He grinned, and then grabbed the tub, picking it up and running towards the kitchen, as to fill it up.

But three steps forward, his feet got caught in a set of shirts, and he fell flat on his face...again. Fortunately, the tub didn't break. Mr. KaHa wouldn't have been happy if that happened—and it might have cost them the mission. Or they would have had to buy him a new one. She stood, worry for the blond ninja instantly gripping her heart.

"Na-Naruto-kun! Are you all right?!"

"Yep! Don't worry about me, Hinata-chan!"

Her heart fluttered as he got back up and ran into the next room, bursting with energy.

_Kami-sama...thank you..._

The rest of the day went smoothly. Sasuke-san almost threw a few of Mr. KaHa's swords at Naruto-kun for making a crack about his anatomy again, and Naruto-kun managed to wash the windows without incident. Hinata picked up Mr. KaHa's already clean room (the only clean room in the house, actually), and then assisted Sasuke-san in food shopping for Mr.KaHa's fridge while Naruto-kun scrubbed the bathroom (which also went without incident—although when Hinata and Sasuke-san returned to the house, Naruto-kun walked out of the shower with a towel around his head—he was dressed, though!). They managed to have the entire place cleaned and the mission finished by Eight that evening. Kakashi-sensei had met them at the door when they were to leave, and Naruto-kun then proceeded to yell at him.

After the activities ended, everyone went home after a dinner of Ichiraku ramen (everyone paid for themselves, although Hinata lent a few coins to Naruto-kun who ran a little bit short for his eight bowls of ramen). Sasuke-san walked home alone, Kakashi-sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke, Naruto-kun ran to home, and Hinata walked home by herself. Nobody noticed whenever she walked in the door and went to her room to lay on her bed for a while before going to bed. Hanabi-chan was working with Father, Neji-niisan was training in the back training area, Aunt Hanako was probably in the library, and the rest of the family was either sitting with their own children for dinner, training, or in bed. She looked up towards the ceiling and a small smile came upon her features.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Hyuga Hinata.

That was Team Seven.

And what an interesting day it was.

* * *

YES! I'm done with Chapter 5! Sorry this took so long to do, but school's been getting in the way, and I've had to study a lot for my AP classes. But I'll keep working on this story when I can, and I'll update whenever possible! Don't worry about me—Jennifer still exists! As does this story! And it will, as long as there are kind readers who still enjoy this piece of work.

Until next time, bye!

Jenn-chan


	8. CClass Mission!

**Changed Fates**

**By Jennifer Darknight**

**Chapter Six: **

**A-Anou…A C-Class Mission?!**

_The moon was high up that night. The stars dotted the dark blue sky, and clouds were nowhere in sight as she laid on her back, looking up at the great beyond before her. The night was always kind to her—lying here on the roof gave her peace from all the ridicule and anger that most people showed her during the day…Her father, Neji, Hanabi…_

_A smile came to the girl's features, and she stared up towards the stars with sparkling silver eyes. If you looked deep into them, you could see the reflection of the very heavens, and the clear pure heart that she held deep inside shining out for all the world to see…_

_Thmp._

_The girl sat up with a start, looking around. The last she checked, she was alone…_

_A flash of pink came past the girl's eyes—pink hair. Gentle as the softest sakura petals…_

_It could only be one person…_

_"Aa…Sakura-san." _

_Haruno Sakura smiled, and took a seat next to the girl, and she received an acknowledging nod from the original occupant of this 'special place'. The pink-haired one gave her a cheery smile, much like the other girl had expected—she was always the cheerful one, so why wouldn't it be so now? _

_"Konbanwa, Hinata-chan." _

_At sixteen, Sakura was a beauty. Exotic pink hair, supple curves that could make even the most gorgeous model jealous, and soft features that made the most gentle lady look coarse…it was a wonder she didn't have suitors lining up her walls, asking her out on a date. But perhaps Rock Lee scared them all away with his incessant crying out and pumping his fist in the air all the time. That would make any man back away, even with the beauty that Sakura was blessed with. _

_It was only natural for Hinata to feel a little bit jealous. _

_"Ne, Hinata-chan…" Sakura tucked some hair behind her ear, and Hinata wondered what it would have been like if she was gifted with such lovely tresses. Maybe she could have had Naruto-kun notice her… _

_"Ha-hai, Sakura-san?"_

_A bit of a blush crossed Sakura-san's cheeks, and that estranged Hinata. Why would Sakura-san, the living queen of Konohagakure, be blushing? What would the reasoning be? _

_"You're Naruto's teammate, right?"_

_"Th-that's right." _

_The girl smiled a little bit, tucking some more of her long hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm thinking of buying him something for Saint Valentine's Day. Do you think you could help me come up with something?" _

_"A…Anou…I don't know if I'd be of any help…And I thought you were giving something to…Sasuke-san?" _

_Sakura shook her head, looking down a bit towards her lap. "Sasuke-kun doesn't notice me. Every year I buy him something, but he probably throws it away…and well…I've just sort of got used to the idea that he's just a childhood dream that I might as well get over." _

_"Demo…" Hinata couldn't help but hear herself ask, "Wh-why Naruto-kun?" _

_Sakura had a gentle expression on her face, with the familiar look in her eyes that one like Hinata understood all too well. Only one in love could see the same thing in another woman's eyes, and it made Hinata's heart go to a dreaded stop, and her blood run cold. _

_"He's so sweet…he's always been there for me. Even when I chased Sasuke-kun and treated him the way I did, he was good to me, and loved me for who I was. And he just sort of…you know…you probably have someone you love too, don't you?"_

_"Y-yes…"_

_"Sasuke-kun, right? All the girls seem to love him best."_

_"N-no…not Sasuke-kun. He's more of a…brother to me." _

_Sakura raised an eyebrow, but just let that slip with a "Well, you're teammates, after all. I'm kinda the same way with Kiba, so I can understand." _

_"I…guess…I can understand why you love Naruto-kun..." It hurt so much to say it. It hurt so much to think it, even! "He's a really good person…I'm sure that whatever you give him, it'll make him happy…unless it's something that has to do with Sasuke-kun. Naruto-kun's always been like that."_

_"Thanks Hinata-chan." _

_And with a smile and a hug, Haruno Sakura left Hinata's presence, only making her feel much more insignificant still. _

* * *

Hinata woke up crying.

The pinkness of her hair, the beauty of her soft green eyes…The love in her voice when she spoke of Naruto-kun. It was all so real…like she had seen and remembered this event before…

But how could that be? She had never experienced such a thing…she couldn't have. She had only just become Naruto-kun's teammate, and Sakura-san looked so much older…much older than she was now. Sixteen to seventeen, at least. So how could she…?

But she felt it. It must have been true…at least to an extent.

Hinata looked out the window and sighed to herself. The sun was just rising, and a gentle light came through the opened window onto her bed, where she sat up and looked towards the horizon. Her heart felt heavy, her body felt tired, and something was weighing down her soul like a lead weight. She couldn't pinpoint it…but it was something. Something that wrenched her inner being everytime it came to mind.

Haruno Sakura.

Hinata was a fool to not remember her

She was, after all…the one Naruto-kun loved.

Loved…

A stinging pain was felt in her heart, and she keeled over and started to cry once again…until there were no tears left…and then she cried some more.

"Naruto-kun…"

* * *

The mission was over less than an hour after it had begun. Team Seven had been assigned to find a lost cat in the forest outside Konoha. Apparently the Fire Country Daimyo's wife, Shijimi-sama, had went out with the little kitty and it had run away. The poor heartbroken woman was desperate to find it, and it was, fortunately, not too hard to find. It was hiding in a nearby bush from their starting point, and after a chase through the woods (it was faster than both Sasuke-san _and_ Naruto-kun, which surprised her), they grabbed the kitty (thanks to Naruto-kun's Kage Bunshin no Jutsu—a technique he threw out since the situation was bad enough to call for it) and they were heading towards home.

Naruto-kun was the one holding the cat, who was scratching him like no tomorrow, and was standing in the back-middle of the line. Hinata stood to his left, and Sasuke-san to his right. Kakashi-sensei stood at the front of the line.

"AUGH! DAMMIT!!! Stop scratchin' me!"

Sasuke-san snorted, throwing Naruto-kun a death glare, as per usual. It was expected.

Hinata looked down towards the ground, and concentrated on her sandals. The ground crunched softly under her feet. For some strange reason, she couldn't get that dream from last night out of her mind. Sakura, her, Naruto-kun…the starry night…it was strange to say that it felt real. She hadn't felt such sadness before in her heart, except the time when she thought she would never see Naruto-kun again by being forced back to the Academy. But now…

_Don't give it another thought, Hinata. It's just a dream! _

_Bu-but…_

_No buts!_ Her mind retorted, _you're a Kunoichi now, and besides! You're standing with Naruto-kun now, not Sakura-san! _

_Tha-that's true…But…_

"ITAI!!!!"

Hinata jerked her head up again with surprise at the sound of Naruto-kun's voice. She turned towards him with slight panic building in her heart, but then it receded slightly. Tora-chan (the cat) was giving Naruto-kun a hard time, but nothing that was too serious. Although she was worried about the poor blond being used as a scratchpost. Hinata looked on and fell in step with him, rather than with Sasuke-san a few paces forward.

"A-Anou…Naruto-kun…"

He looked over the cat's orange, fluffy body a moment to look at her…

…Only to get batted with its paws.

"Hai, Hinata-chaaaoooowwwwww!!!!!!!"

_You can do this! _

The redness spread to her cheeks again, and she cursed her racing heart. Naruto-kun probably heard her!

"Anou…would you like…some help?"

Naruto-kun blinked in surprise for a second, but then shook his head with a sunny smile, despite the scratches.

"Na, I'm fine! Don't worry, Hinata-chan!"

"Ho-hontou ni?"

"He's fine," Sasuke-san said over his shoulder, falling slightly in step with the other two genin. "This is all the Dobe knows how to do."

A flash of orange whizzed by Hinata, and a loud meow was heard as Tora-chan was thrown towards Sasuke-san's head. The Uchiha spun around and caught it, his raven hair whipping around him as his body moved. He held the cat by the scuff of its neck, holding the animal up for both Naruto-kun and herself to see. Hinata was just relieved that the kitty was unhurt—if Naruto-kun had thrown the kitty too far, he might have cost them the mission…and besides that, it was wrong to hurt a kitty!

"I'll take it from here," said Sasuke-san, flashing a superior grin in Naruto-kun's direction. Naruto-kun looked like he was ready to kill the Uchiha, and Hinata looked between them, watching the animosity grow…if she was a different person, it might have been entertaining to watch. But in all honesty, it was making her rather nervous to watch them glare at each other like that.

"I…um…"

Hinata started to say something, but then closed her mouth. She could see some buildings over the thicket of trees, and a relieved sigh came from her lips. She put her hands to her chest, and smiled a bit, although nobody seemed to notice it too much.

She was almost back. At least they'd get Tora-chan back to his owner.

"Kusottare!!!"

…it seemed Tora-chan didn't like Sasuke-san, either.

Oh, dear.

* * *

"OH!!!! My widdle snooker-wookums! You're home!! Did you miss Mommy, hmmm?!"

"MreOWWWWW!!!"

…With that frightening of a sight to await you at home, it was no wonder that a person or an animal would run away.

Shijimi-sama was a thick woman, standing about two inches higher than Hinata with a mussed up mass of curly hair that she tried to put up in the typical Imperial Buns (which wasn't working at all for her—it just accentuated her weight, bless the sweet woman's heart), huge lips that wore too much lipstick, and droopy brown eyes which were red and wet from crying. Hinata was taken aback by her overzealous demeanor and shrill voice—she was a sweet woman, but she had heard from Aunt Hanako that she had visited Father plenty of times with her husband, the Daimyo of the Country of Fire. With Father's lack of patience, it was a wonder that he hadn't snapped and killed the Daimyo's wife hundreds of times over.

"Oh, my sweet widdle Kitty-widdy! I'm so glad that I got you back!"

She turned to the three genin and bowed slightly.

…and then she turned away to pay the proper fee.

Whenever one requested a mission, it cost a certain amount for the task to be completed, and the requestor would have to pay money whenever the mission was done. This mission was D-rank, so the pay wasn't too great, but since Team Seven was a Genin Team it didn't get much pay to begin with (not that Hinata minded—it was enough to be with Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei, and Sasuke-san everyday). Until you turned Chuunin (or were of legal age—whichever came first), only ten percent of your total earnings went to you, while the other ninety went to your parents. So out of a 300 yen mission, the Hyuga Clan would receive 270 yen, and Hinata would get 30. But even then, depending on the teacher, family, and other factors, the rule was followed strictly, loosely, or not at all. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san were both orphans, and it wasn't fair to only have Hinata pay the 'parental tithe', so Kakashi-sensei didn't even have her give the idea of paying her parents for her work a second thought.

The Hokage's office was full, though, as always. Hinata had been in it only a few times, but every time it was bustling with life and activity. It was where so many great shinobi got missions, and history was made in this very room. It made the Hyuga a bit self-conscious about standing here.

The Third stood—well, you could never really tell behind that podium of his—before them in all the glory that came with the Title Hokage. He was a frail-looking man—he was wrinkled and old in every sense of the word—but there was something about him that showed his strength straight through. Perhaps it was his eyes, which were never dull, and sparkled with the wisdom and intelligence of an older, more mature man, but perhaps it was his straight posture and regal demeanor. Iruka-sensei sat next to him as well, looking more like he was going to bolt at the slightest moment rather than help the Sandaime-sama with his duties. It was understandable—he was a Chuunin after all, and he was assisting the highest-rank shinobi in the village.

Hinata felt the self-consciousness inside her grow, as Sandaime-sama looked over at her team as they stood before him, waiting for orders. Kakashi-sensei was in the front, of course, as the other Genins didn't really have the right to be standing that close to the Sandaime-sama like that. At least—that was Hinata's opinion. He just seemed so untouchable…so much stronger than herself. He was looking down at a scroll, looking up at the team and then back down to the scroll at random intervals as he started reading off jobs for them to do, since their current mission was completed:

"Team Seven…Wash the neighborhood dogs…go grocery shopping for the Council of Regents…"

_Sounds good enough. At least we're not getting any violent jo—_

"NO WAY!!! BOOORING!!!! Give us a better mission!!! You know, a more exciting one!!!"

Hinata jumped, and turned to face Naruto-kun, who had an indignant expression and his arms in an "X" motion over his chest. She heard Sasuke-san groan, and Kakashi-sensei sigh. She could feel something warm well up in her heart, and Hinata fought the redness that was threatening to come to her cheeks…

Too late.

She was already blushing…AGAIN.

The Third Hokage merely raised an eyebrow, but Iruka-sensei was quite irate. He stood in his seat, glaring at Naruto-kun who still stood where he was, adamant. He was shining, radiant, like sunlight…

And being rude to the Third Hokage.

_He must have a reason…_

"You moron!" Iruka-sensei yelled in the normal 'Naruto-scolding' voice that Hinata knew so well from her Academy Days, "Everyone starts with simple jobs!! You have to work your way up through the ranks!!"

"But, But…" Naruto-kun insisted, "We keep getting really dumb, boring missions!"

_Three…two…One. _

Kakashi-sensei knocked Naruto-kun on the head, causing the blond boy to hold onto his crown in pain—although not enough pain to REALLY hurt him, thank goodness.

The Third Hokage puffed out of his pipe and let out a sigh, shaking his head at Naruto-kun. It was amazing that he didn't lose his temper at Naruto-kun…her father would have done so to her, had she been that outspoken. But Hokage-sama was very calm…and very condescending, like he was talking to a small child.

"Apparently you don't understand what these missions are about. Every day, our village receives plenty of missions, ranging from babysitting to assassinations. Each request is written down on different lists, and ranked by letter according to difficulty. You three became Genin recently, so D-rank should be…"

Naruto-kun's back was to the Hokage (_Why would he do that? Didn't he care about what Hokage-sama had to say?_), and he mumbled to himself, instead of listening:

"You know…I had Pork Ramen last night, so I think I'm gonna have some Miso Ramen today."

"Listen to me, Naruto!"

Hinata cringed at the raising of the Hokage's voice. If she wasn't a Genin, she would have hid behind Kakashi-sensei just so she wouldn't see the displeasure in the older man's expression.

Naruto-kun turned to face the Hokage with puffed out cheeks, and a bit of a gleam in his baby blue eyes. Hinata felt her heart jump in her throat, and she had to put her hand to her chest to make sure she didn't die. She blushed and stared at Naruto-kun, poking her fingers together in a vain attempt to curb her anxiety. The blush was attacking her with a vengeance, and it wasn't the good kind, either. The worst thing she could do was lose her composure in front of Sandaime-sama and Iruka-sensei. AND not only that, but Sasuke-san, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto-kun.

But fat chance of her recovering. Her face was red enough…

And Sasuke-san was noticing it—he was even giving her the raised-eyebrow-what's-going-on look.

Oh, how embarrassing!

"But, but…" Naruto-kun was still crossing his arms and pouting—it was so cute. Even if he WAS back-talking the Third Hokage. "You're always giving lectures like that! Just telling me what I can and can't do!" He sat straighter, and met the older man's eyes with an intensity that just took Hinata's breath away.

"But I'm not the troublemaking brat you still think I am! I'm a shinobi of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, who's gonna one day be the future Hokage!!!"

_Na-Naruto-kun…_

She didn't even try to fight the redness away. It was there to stay. Hinata's heart felt itself jump up and down, warm and cool, and a strange electricity ran through her entire body. He was so strong, so sure of himself…So much like Naruto-kun…

And neither the Third Hokage or Iruka-sensei yelled. They didn't even get angry. Their expressions actually warmed up, and Hinata could see…affection…in their faces? Affection…something she herself wasn't used to, but she herself commonly felt. She watched the two men as the looked at Naruto-kun, and then it seemed like forever passed them by when the Third Hokage spoke again:

"If you want it that much…"

_Wh-what? _

A smile graced the old man's features. "I'll give you a C-rank mission. The protection of a certain individual."

_Pr-protection?! Th-that means…fighting…right?! _

_Don't worry, Hinata! You'll be fine! _

Hinata still couldn't help the iron that was forming in her stomach, and the knots that were forming in her guts. Her body had started to shake, but she managed to keep it from being noticed by Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun. She couldn't chicken out now.

"Yatta!!!" Naruto-kun looked so happy…like a child who had just been given his favorite candy. "Who're we gonna be protecting, huh? The Daimyo?! A princess?!?!"

"Keep calm. I'll introduce you." He looked to the door to the side of the room, and nodded his head. "Could you come in here?"

And then Hinata's breath caught, and she stepped back, staring at the door in wonder of who might come out.

* * *

End of Chapter Six! Yes, I know…a bit short, and it's been forever since I've last posted, but I've just had a lot of stuff to do, and it isn't my fault! Please don't kill me! ;-; I should get the next chapter up by the end of Christmas break, so don't worry!

And this chapter was for my wonderful Beta, Ruby Moon-chan! Thanks for helping me out of those ruts when I had writers' block! I appreciate it!

--Jen


	9. Preparation isn't always a bad thing

**_Changed Fates_**

**By Jennifer Darknight**

**_Chapter Seven: _**

**Preparation isn't always a bad thing**

He couldn't have been any older than fifty-five to sixty. Even with his height (he was pretty tall—not as tall as Kakashi-sensei, but he was up there) and obviously bulging muscles (he had to have worked in some kind of manual labor job), the way his face was set in that slight-scowl, and the way his shaggy white beard hung down from his chin (unkempt and ragged), it was obvious that he wasn't a young man. It didn't help that his face had wrinkles all around it, also showing signs of age. He wore a straw hat over his head, but Hinata was certain that he was bald, or at least balding. At least he looked healthy though, and not like he was about to keel over and have a heart attack any minute—unlike the elders of the Hyuga Clan (in all honesty, she was surprised they weren't dead already. Of course that was a very rude and unseemly thing for her to even think, but when you thought about how shriveled they were, as well as their age, it was a wonder they were still able to summon chakra).

He stood in front of the Genin, looking at the three rookie shinobi one-by-one.

And he sighed. Hinata didn't want to know what he meant by that—staring and then giving out that disappointed sigh was never a good sign.

But then again, he spoke in any case, and that just made the knot in her stomach turn and churn even worse. Her first C-Class mission was bad enough—but now she had to go through the awkward experience of meeting the man that she would have to help protect from God-Knows-What. Her father had probably been through a lot of missions such as these in his lifetime, but he also had an iron gut, and she didn't exactly inherit that from him.

_You're just worrying…he probably doesn't ha—_

"_These_ are the ones who you hired? They don't look like anything 'cept a group of wet-nosed brats."

_Maybe not…I can understand why he's distrustful, as we are just genin, but…_

The Hokage coughed, then Hinata's attention was drawn to him (same with Sasuke-san, and Naruto-kun was a little irked at the old man's first comment, but he looked anyway). He was still behind his desk, but a new set of papers were sitting in front of him.

"This is Tazuna-san," The Hokage said, looking at the three without changing his expression. "You'll be guiding him home to Nami no Kuni, while protecting him from brigands and street thugs that might be lurking along the way."

"P-protect…?" Hinata asked softly, although not loud enough for any of those around her to really hear.

"Daijoubu dattebayo!" Naruto-kun puffed out his chest, grinning with this sort of glow of confidence radiating off his form. "Everything will be all right, since I, Uzumaki Naruto, am here!"

The old man that they were hired to protect sighed, and shook his head at the three of them. The knot that formed in the pit of Hinata's stomach squeezed even tighter.

"The one in the orange is the worst." He then turned towards the Hokage, who stole a glance at him. "Are you sure these guys are really shinobi?"

"O-of course we are…" Hinata said softly, poking her fingers together to hide her own embarrassment at opening her mouth at all. Tazuna-san didn't seem to hear her, though. He was busy looking at Naruto-kun, who was now about to rip his head off. Kakashi-sensei was holding him back, saying something along the lines of "You can't kill your clients". Hinata's face reddened even more, and then she looked back over at the Hokage, then at Tazuna-san, then at Sasuke-san.

None of them really had any expression.

Hinata looked down, and twiddled her thumbs again.

Would they be able to take this man back without Naruto-kun fighting with him the entire way there…?

Maybe that was going to be harder than the mission itself.

* * *

_Kunai, check. Bandages, check. Salve, check. _

Everything seemed to be in order. Her bag was nice and plumply packed, and her things weren't too full or too lean. It was nice and perfect, Hinata decided, as she looked everything over one last time, rummaging through her things to keep them in a neat and stable order.

"So you're going?"

Hinata's heart jumped, and she looked up, only to become face-to-face with the graceful features of Aunt Hanako, as she stood right behind the Hyuga heir. She was still dressed in the usual fancy kimono set that married Hyuga women wore around the house (even though sometimes she herself had stated discomfort with wearing it. When Hinata's father was out, she caught Aunt Hanako in a sweatsuit once, training Neji-niisan), and her long hair was tied in the male style half-ponytail, much like Neji-niisan's hair was (again, it was more and more apparent that the Hyuga boy took more after his mother than his father). She gave Hinata a smile and a bow of her head, letting her long hair that fell out of her ponytail frame her face. It was a respectful gesture, but Hinata knew deep inside that Aunt Hanako was much higher than her in rank, even if her Aunt didn't think so. Hinata just couldn't help but smile back—her Aunt's emotions were contagious sometimes.

"I'm still getting ready." Hinata said, bowing her own head in response. "Kakashi-sensei told us to m-meet him by the gate… in a few hours, to give us time to get ready… and eat… beforehand."

"It is your first higher-rank mission…"

Hinata was taken aback a moment. "You know a-about it…?"

"Of course I do." Hanako said softly. "I was notified the moment that the Hokage gave you the orders. Iruka came by and let me know."

"Oh…I see."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, but then Aunt Hanako regained her usual serene smile. Hinata blinked once, but then didn't pursue the idea further. It wasn't her place to ask questions anyway. She had to prepare for that mission.

"Where are your teammates?" Aunt Hanako asked as Hinata grabbed a medicine jar and put it in the smaller pouch of the backpack. Her tone was wistful, almost teasing.

Hinata knelt down and arranged some of the extra kunai in her side-pouch, and added a medicine jar in the pocket of her hoody for good measure, just in case she needed a jar on the fly, instead of having to dig through her bag for it in the heat of battle and causing herself to become a liability. She was going to be useful this time…no matter what.

"Well…Na-Naruto-kun's…setting up in his apartment…" Hinata blushed, images of the blond-haired boy flooding her mind. "And Sa…Sasuke-san's at his place…"

And Hinata was here. But that was obvious wasn't it?

Hanako nodded, stepping towards her niece once but still staying at Hinata's base height (meaning…she was still standing), staring into the Hyuga heir's silver eyes with her own. Hinata's stomach flopped inside her abdomen, but she tried to keep the expression out of her face. She didn't want Aunt Hanako to notice her anxiety. When she stared at her like that…True, she was a straight-forward person, but…

"Just be careful."

Hinata blinked, then her eyes drifted a bit, and she looked down slightly. "Of course…I'll be fine. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san will be with me…"

Hanako smiled a bit and sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "You sound just like me at your age."

"I do…?"

Hanako shook her head, but still kept the same expression on her face. "Nevermind." Patting the Hyuga heir on the head, she nodded to her. "I'll tell you the story someday, when you're older."

"Oh…all right…"

Aunt Hanako coughed once, and although Hinata didn't know why she did that, she wasn't about to ask any more questions than she needed to.

Another cough. The older woman ran her fingers through her hair a moment, and then shuffled where she was, although not quite moving, per se. It was the technique of Hyuga women that Hinata had not quite grasped yet, and therefore looked like she was fidgeting all the time instead of merely shuffling.

"Well," Hanako nodded to the younger Hyuga, smiling slightly. "Be back soon."

Hinata nodded a bit, although it was jerky and uncertain, but she didn't have time to do that now. Acting strong wasn't Hinata's strong suit, she supposed. "Y-yes…I will…D-don't worry a-about me…please t-tell Father…that I'll be fine…"

Not that he will notice that I'm gone in any case…

"I will." Aunt Hanako said, tucking some hair behind her ear. "And no matter what he tells you about you not being good enough…just remember that your father didn't do his first C-Class mission until three years after he turned Genin, when he became Chuunin. Although don't tell him that I told you that."

"He did?" Hinata's eyes widened slightly, staring at her much taller Aunt. "I thought he became…Chuunin…a year after he be-became Genin…"

Hanako shook her head. "As much as he would have liked to believe that, it was Neji's father who achieved Chuunin first. At that time he was truly the more skilled of the two brothers."

_So Uncle Hizashi was a genius…like Neji-niisan is. I wonder what he was like? I never got to know him too well…I never got to see him very much, either…I just remember that his eyes were always really sad…_

And a light laugh came from the other Hyuga's lips. "And I'm not just saying that because he was my husband, either."

Hinata nodded, her eyes returning to their normal size. "I…I kn-know you're not…You're not that…kind of…person, Aunt Hanako…"

"I'm glad to know that you think of me that way, Hinata-chan."

Hinata put another medicine jar in her bag, slung said bag over her shoulders, and then turned again towards her Aunt. "Um…Aunt Hanako…"

The tilt of a head, and the smile was still there.

Hinata clasped her hands together, and the splash of a blush came upon her face. She stepped forward once, and slung the bag around her shoulders, looking slightly downward, unable to meet her Aunt's eyes. The older Hyuga looked at her quizzically, and her eyes shined with a bit of endearment, or something along those lines. Hinata wasn't quite sure what it was…but there certainly was something gentle about it—unlike her father's eyes, and Neji-niisan's eyes…

"Mmm?"

"Uncle Hi…Hizashi…wh-what was he…like?"

Hinata gained the courage to look up, and meet Hanako's eyes, which still had that bit of gentleness to them that they had before, but they didn't look misty or sad or anything like that…it was like they were neutral—not feeling one way or the other…just with that look of kindness and remembering. She was certain that if she had her Byakugan turned on, her aura would have been a very soft, very calming blue.

"He was…" A pause. It wasn't a contemplating pause, but not one of reminiscing, either. "He was a very calm…very kind man. He always cared for me and for Neji, and was as strong as any Hyuga man could be. Always kept to his duties and to his family."

Maybe it was just her…but whenever Ino-san talked about Sasuke-san, or whenever Momoko-sempai talked about Neji-niisan, they were always so happy, gentle, yet energetic and just…ecstatic to talk about them. Perhaps it was just her…but her Aunt didn't really seem too…well…excited about it, or dreamy. Or even truly happy…it was just…She couldn't really put her finger on it quite well.

"Did you love him?" Hinata asked, but suddenly regretted it and put her head down, blushing, and not sure why she even threw and outburst like that. Why she would ask a personal question like that…It certainly wasn't her business whether or not she knew if Aunt Hanako loved her husband or not. It would have only made sense, as they did marry—but it was still strange that a pair of relatives could fall in love with each other in the way that husbands and wives did.

Of course, Hinata's mother was the same—she was a Hyuga just like her father was.

But…

"Perhaps." Aunt Hanako said in a wistful tone. Her eyes were…they were tinged with something resembling sadness…something resembling regret, but Hinata couldn't really tell which. "I can't remember whether I did or not... Just whenever he died, I moved on, and focused all my love that might have been for him to raising Neji."

Hinata couldn't really say anything, as even if she would have tried to, Aunt Hanako threw a soft, covering look in her direction, laughing in a light, bell-like tone.

"Well…I think it's about time that you run out and meet your teammates before you meet your sensei. You have a tough job ahead of you."

A pause came. Then Aunt Hanako spoke again:

"And do your best."

Hinata nodded, though not with as much vigor as she would have hoped to have, or as much as Naruto-kun would have had in her situation.

"I…I'll try."

"No." Hanako wagged a finger in front of the younger girl. "You _will_. And remember—run away if things get too tough. Even if the enemy isn't defeated, ensuring the safety of your charge and yourselves is the heart of your mission. Hyuga Pride doesn't mean a thing if you're dead."

"Y…yes…All right…"

With a satisfied nod, the older Hyuga began to shoo Hinata out the door. "Now hurry along, in case everyone's already there. Time limits or no, it's always best to be early."

As the door closed, and Hinata began to hurry down the halls towards the exit of the Hyuga estate, she remembered Aunt Hanako's face.

"Why…did she look…so…sad?"

* * *

Konoha was bustling, like usual. People walking along the streets, going about their daily business, their eyes wandering away from the young Hyuga Genin who was hurrying along, her knapsack nearly clinging to her back. Indigo strands clung to sweaty pale skin, white eyes staying forward, her legs moving as fast as she could carry them. She spent enough time at the Hyuga Estate, getting ready—Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun were probably already there by now, and here she was, wasting time like a basket-case. She didn't have time for this—she needed to be more efficient…the heir of the Hyuga clan must not spend her time wasting time like this.

She felt her legs move quicker under her as she clutched her backpack closer to her.

_I wonder if Naruto-kun's there yet…_

Hinata shook the thought off. He was probably already there with Sasuke-san, arguing like usual. And everyone was probably bored to tears waiting for her.

_They probably left without me…_

Hinata shook her head, letting her legs keep going on still. Her heart rammed in her chest, and her body felt rather heavy, like it was going to fall over—but not so much to where she actually did. The people started passing her in a blur, and her heart rammed even harder, and her legs moved even faster…

"But Sakura-chan, it's true! I really am going on a C-class mission!"

_Naruto-kun?_

Hinata stopped, looking around, trying to pinpoint the noise and where it was coming from. She stepped to the side of the street to let the others pass so that she wouldn't crash into anyone. That would be most impolite.

"I said stop lying and leave me alone, Naruto!"

That could only be Sakura-san's voice. The loud shrillness of it, and the slight gentleness in the tone was unmistakable. Sometimes, Hinata wished she could sound so loud, so outspoken…

"But I'm not lying at all!" Naruto-kun said in a desperate tone—and Hinata couldn't help but feel her heart clench a little bit. He tried so hard to get her to notice him…And yet she was infatuated with Sasuke-san…

Hinata's eyes kept moving about, trying to find their location still. She wasn't about to use the Byakugan and make herself look conspicuous. She looked about a few times, and then noticed a patch of orange and pink in the corner of her eye.

She turned around, and then saw them standing next to a park bench in a patch of green grass, facing the street from the right side. Sakura's long pink hair trailed down her back in a beautiful silky mass, and her red and white dress clung to her childlike yet elegant form. Naruto-kun was standing in front of her, hands outstretched, a 'please believe me' expression plastered on his face, blue eyes sparkling as he looked at the gorgeous Haruno girl. He looked like he was completely infatuated with her.

While he…with her…

Hinata looked down at herself, and then cursed her own pale white skin. "I'm not tan enough…"

Hinata stepped forward, once, towards them. Another step. And then it turned into an all-out run, stopping two feet away from Naruto's back, trying to keep silent so she wouldn't interrupt anything. She didn't know why she just did that. She just…

Then Sakura's eyes lifted.

And their eyes met.

They were so cold. Steely green eyes looked through her, piercing through her retinas and filling her entire body with a sense of dread. Hinata had this sudden urge to run away and hide from those eyes…in a way, they were much colder than Sasuke-san's. His didn't show any trace of emotion at all, no trace of even humanity in them. But Sakura-san's…they looked at her with such malice…such anger…such…

Hate?

"…Hyuga-san. Kon-ni-chi-wa."

Hinata wanted to back up, but looked at Naruto-kun, whose blue eyes were now fixed on her, curiosity surging through them. She held her ground, though her body still shook a tiny bit, and her face filled with a deep redness that covered her features. Hinata flinched at the sound of her last name being spoken—that sort of formality with that kind of venom was just…

"H-hello…Sakura-san…"

Naruto-kun turned fully around now, ignoring Sakura-san for the moment, his eyes completely focused on the young Hyuga. Hinata's face reddened even more, and her heart started to beat fast in her chest, and she could feel her lungs clenching and unclenching, making it hard for her to breathe.

"How's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. It felt like a jab in the gut with her quickness and bluntness of the question.

"Sasuke-san…is all right…" Hinata said gently. "He always is…"

"Of course!" Sakura said, nodding. "It's Sasuke-kun. Not like you would know that though."

_Why is she so upset at me?_

"Well…I am his…t-teammate…um…"

Sakura said nothing. She just threw Hinata a glare, putting one hand on her hip before turning on her heel and storming off. It seemed that the world was getting duller with each step she made away from the Hyuga girl, and the farther away Naruto-kun was from her as he stared at the Cherry-blossom girl's retreating back. She was radiant all right…too radiant. She seemed to take the sun away from any girl that got too close.

_But that is unlike Sakura-san…even when it comes to Sasuke-san…what did I do…that could make her so upset…with me?_

Naruto-kun said nothing for a moment, then his eyes moved towards the Hyuga girl, slightly dulled, but not losing their usual shine. Hinata was driven aback a moment, and her right foot moved back, and her face stared at his, a bit of a redness coming to her cheeks.

"Na…Naruto-kun?"

"Why was Sakura-chan acting like that?" he wondered aloud. "She's never like that to anyone. Did you do something to make her mad?"

"No…not at all…" Hinata said softly, though she knew that it was a lie. "I think it was about Sasuke-san…" _I was on the same team as Sasuke-san…_

"It's always about Sasuke." Naruto-kun mumbled. It was quiet, but Hinata could hear him a mile away. "Sasuke, this. Sasuke, that. But one day I'm gonna be strong enough for Sakura-chan to like me…"

"I-I'm sure you will…one day…Naruto-kun."

_It hurts to have to say that._

"Hmmm…" A grin slowly made its way across Naruto-kun's face, and Hinata's face became even more red, her heart beating even faster than it was before, if that was humanly possible. Her index fingers made their way to each other, and she started poking them together absent-mindedly, trying to get her mind off of the boy's hand, which was now on her shoulder and felt like a fire of warmth was being branded onto her skin.

"Well, we should go, huh?"

"Eh?"

Naruto-kun's hand didn't move, and Hinata's heart couldn't stop pounding. She attempted to look towards him, to try to look at his eyes, but her heart wouldn't let her. She just couldn't do it…

And her eyes were only a few centimeters below locking with his. Why couldn't she just raise them…just a little…It was only a little bit more…

"Well…uh…Hey, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed redder, her eyes trying to raise a little bit more. They tried so hard, but she couldn't bring up the courage to just bring them up, just a little bit, even though he was right there, and she was right there. She felt some words come in her throat, and she opened her mouth, just to let them out and be in the open, but all they came out was a small squeak:

"Yes…Naruto-kun…?"

She could tell that he was frowning. She couldn't see his eyes, and she wasn't looking at his face, but she could tell. It was his voice, his motions, maybe. His hand moved from her shoulder, and she heard him moving ahead of her, only slightly.

"You never look at me in the eye." Naruto-kun said in a soft voice. Was he sad? No. She couldn't really tell what the emotion was. It was down, low, and Hinata felt her heart yank in her chest, and her entire body feel heavy, like it was going to fall down into the Earth and make a crater where it stood. She stepped forward, just a little.

"I'm sorry." Hinata said softly. "It's just…I…I'm not…used to…talking to people…so I…um…"

"Oh, that's what it is?"

Hinata nodded, her face glowing a bright pink, her index fingers poking together. "Y-yes…I never…Father didn't…I didn't…go…out much…um…"

The hand went on her shoulder again. It was a strong grip this time—not slightly loose like it was before. And it wasn't just one hand…it was two.

And there was Naruto-kun, his face a few inches away from hers. She couldn't look him in the eyes, she just couldn't…but…

Hinata thought she could just die! They were close enough…they were close enough to…_We're close enough to…I…um…I don't think…_

Her eyes met his. They finally managed to meet his own, slowly but surely. Her heart raced, her palms perspirated, and her mouth moved in a small, quiet smile. She tried to calm herself down. She had to. She couldn't just look at the ground like this and not face her teammate. How was she supposed to work with him if she never looked him in the eye?

But…she was managing so far now…even if she did want to melt in a little puddle. Half from fear and the other half because of looking into Naruto-kun's beautiful, sparkling blue eyes.

"Well, don't worry about it!" Came the sunny reply. "We're teammates now, Hinata-chan! We're gonna be talking a lot from now on—so don't be so scared, okay?"

"Y-yes…"

_Naruto-kun…you're so kind…_

His hands left her shoulders. He walked away a few steps, then his head moved over his shoulder and he flashed the girl a grin.

"Well, let's go. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme are waiting for us."

Hinata walked forward, nodding a little bit, a tiny blush still on her face. "All right. L-let's go…"

And then the two started to run. Naruto moved in a brisk jog, his excited energy seeming to cover his whole form and fly out into the world around him. The sun shone down onto his golden hair, giving it a heavenly shine—almost like a Halo as the adoring Hyuga girl ran several steps behind him…

And she secretly wondered when she'd be able to run beside him.

* * *

Well everyone! I'm sorry for you guys having to wait so long for this chapter to come out! School, life, and all sorts of other things kept me from putting this up on time…but now it's here! XD And I'm so happy that it's back. Don't worry—I haven't turned my back on this story. Even if you see an InuYasha fic in the works in my profile, I'm still working hard on this fanfic. I've already got eight done and I'm working on nine in my notebook at home, and I'm trying my best to make this the best NaruHina ever!

Thank you my readers for being patient with me! I appreciate it!

Jen


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